THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 

LIBRARY 

C 
HI6FK 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


http://archive.org/details/inmemoriamabelgrOOhami 


THE  LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UHJVEaSlTY  OF  ILL 


CL.    et—y±^~t^ 


3fa  jHemortatn 


&M  <§rosfomor  Hopkins 

15orn  Btttmbzv  stft,  1844 
Bit*  Juig  27tf),  1899 


ftlffh 


Quis  desiderio  sit  pudor  aut  modus 

tarn  cari  capitis  %        Hoeati  Caemina,  I.,  24 

Heu,  quanto  minus  cum  aliis  versari,  quam 
tui  meminisse !  St.  Augustine 

Through  such  souls  alone 
God  stooping  shows  sufficient  of  His  light 
For  us  V  the  dark  to  rise  by.  Browning 

Nor  let  us  weep  that  our  delight  is  fled  — 
He  wakes  or  sleeps  with  the  enduring  dead : 
Peace,  peace,  he  is  not  dead,  he  doth  not  sleep  - 
He  hath  awakened  from  the  dream  of  life  — 
'T  is  we  who,  lost  in  stormy  visions,  keep 
With  phantoms  an  unprofitable  strife  ; 
He  has  outsoared  the  shadow  of  our  night. 

Shelley 


7062,06 


0  strong  soul,  by  what  shore 

Tarriest  thou  now  ?     For  that  force 

Surely  has  not  been  left  vain  ! 

Yes,  in  some  far-shining  sphere, 

Still  thou  performest  the  word 

Of  the  Spirit  in  whom  thou  dost  live  — 

Prompt,  unwearied  as  here  ! 

Servants  of  God  !  —  or  sons 

Shall  I  not  call  you  ?  because 

Not  as  servants  ye  knew 

Your  Father's  innermost  mind. 

Arnold 


€p\a  Trpo  \64ycov 

"We  live  in  deeds,  not  years;  in  thoughts,  not  breaths  ; 
I71  feelings,  not  in  figures  on  a  dial: 
We  should  count  time  by  heart-throbs.     He  most  lives 
Wlio  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best" 


Jn  Jftemortam 


LET  us  ever  bear  in  mind  that  the  true  idea  of  human 
j  regeneration,  is  that  of  a  moral  empire,  to  be  estab- 
lished by  moral  means,  over  the  hearts  of  men :  and  that 
he  who  would  hasten  this  consummation,  must  begin  by 
setting  up  that  empire  first  in  his  own  breast,  and  then 
extend  it  throughout  the  sphere  of  his  action,  over  his 
fellow-beings.  .  .  .  And  he  who  labors  for  this  end  with  a 
faithful  and  true  spirit,  fulfils  the  designs  of  his  Creator ; 
and  though  he  should  be  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  days, 
he  will  not  have  lived  in  vain." 

So  said,  almost  with  prophetic  vision,  at  the  close  of  one 
of  his  public  addresses,  that  brilliant  young  lawyer  Samuel 
Eells,  so  early  dead  and  so  deeply  mourned.  Perhaps  it 
was  also  with  prophetic  vision,  certainly  with  clear  and 
true  realization  of  what  constitutes  success  in  life,  that  the 
latter  clause  of  the  quotation  had  been  marked  by  the  sub- 
ject of  this  memoir.  I  think  it  may  fairly  be  said  of  him, 
as  was  said  of  Dean  Stanley,  that  he  was  "  different  from 
other  people,  first  of  all,  because  he  always  looked  upon 
this  world  in  its  true  light,  not  as  a  home,  but  as  a  journey. 
Hence  he  was  never  entirely  absorbed  in  the  contests  and 
controversies  of  the  day.  He  had  his  opinions  and  con- 
victions, religious  and  political,  but  his  horizon  was  too 
wide  ever  to  lose  himself  altogether  in  our  small  lanes  and 
valleys."  He  has  died  young,  and  of  his  life,  if  we  mean 
by  that  a  succession  of  great  events,  there  is  little  to  be 
said.  It  was  free  from  care  :  it  was  filled  with  congenial 
work  :  it  could  hardly  have  been  happier.     "  But  in  the 

7 


midst  of  all  his  happiness  as  husband,  father,  friend, 
teacher,  and  preacher,  his  eyes  were  always  fixed  above 
the  earth,  towards  the  Eternal."  A  few  memories  of  this 
life,  closed  in  its  fifty-fifth  year,  may  not  be  without  inter- 
est to  the  friends  for  whom  this  little  volume  is  intended. 

Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins,  the  son  of  Dr.  Samuel  Miles 
Hopkins  and  Mary  J.  H.  Heacock,  was  born  at  Avon 
Springs,  N.  Y.,  December  5,  1844,  the  third  in  a  family  of 
seven  children.  He  came  of  a  goodly  ancestry  stretching 
back  through  eight  generations  to  John  Hopkins,  who 
came  from  England  to  Massachusetts  with  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Hooker  in  1633,  and  settled  in  Cambridge  in 
1634.  His  grandfather,  Judge  Samuel  Miles  Hopkins,  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  western  New  York.  Having 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  on  the  Genesee  River,  in 
1811  he  removed  from  New  York  City  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  the  law,  to  the  village  of  Geneseo. 
In  1814  he  laid  out  the  village  of  Moscow  and  settled 
there  with  his  family.  These  pioneer  labors  however 
were  not  continued  for  a  long  period.  In  1822  we  find 
him  living  in  Albany,  and  again  taking  up  the  practice  of 
the  law. 

There  his  son  Dr.  Samuel  Miles  Hopkins  grew  up. 
Many  distinguished  and  interesting  people  came  to  his 
father's  house.  Among  others,  he  mentions  Aaron  Burr  — 
a  shy,  silent  figure,  generally  despised,  but  tolerated  and 
treated  kindly  by  Judge  Hopkins  on  account  of  early 
favors  shown  to  him  when  a  struggling  young  lawyer. 
Mr.  Hopkins'  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Reuben  B.  Hea- 
cock, a  prominent  and  wealthy  merchant  of  Buffalo,  and 
Abby  Peabody  Grosvenor.  Her  brother  was  the  Rev. 
Grosvenor  Heacock,  for  thirty-two  years  the  beloved  pastor 
of  the  Lafayette  Avenue  church,  who  died  at  the  age  of 

8 


fifty-five,  mourned  by  the  entire  city.  His  nephew  was 
said  to  resemble  him  strongly  in  form  and  feature.  Dr. 
Hopkins  was  educated  at  Yale  College  and  at  Auburn 
Theological  Seminary.  In  1847  he  was  called  to  the  Hyde 
Professorship  of  Ecclesiastical  History  in  Auburn  Theolog- 
ical Seminary,  and  removed  the  same  year  to  Auburn  with 
his  family. 

There  the  boyhood  of  Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins  was  passed, 
—  in  cultured  and  scholarly  surroundings,  in  an  atmosphere 
admirably  fitted  to  develop  the  social  and  intellectual  quali- 
ties which  marked  his  character,  as  well  as  his  deep  religious 
nature.  His  preparation  for  college  was  made  at  the 
Auburn  High  School,  and  he  entered  Hamilton  College  at 
the  commencement  of  1862,  —  that  semi-centennial  anni- 
versary famous  in  the  annals  of  the  college,  and  above  all 
commencements  thus  far  in  its  history  inspiring  to  the 
incoming  student.  During  his  freshman  year  he  united 
with  the  college  church.  He  had  decided  quite  early  in 
life  to  enter  the  ministry.  On  being  asked  once  when  he 
first  decided  to  follow  that  profession,  he  replied:  "I  do 
not  know.  It  seems  to  me  I  always  expected  to  be  a 
minister,  and  the  thought  of  another  profession  never 
occurred  to  me." 

The  four  years  of  college  life  were  busy  ones.  Not  only 
was  he  an  eager  student,  winning  his  full  share  of  the  col- 
lege honors,  but  his  love  of  music,  his  fondness  for  athletic 
sports,  and  his  social  nature  made  him  a  leading  spirit  in 
glee-club,  base-ball  and  coasting,  and  social  life,  and  kept 
him  in  touch  with  every  interest  of  the  college.  Foot-ball 
had  not  at  that  time  been  inaugurated.  After  seeing  his 
first  games,  in  the  fall  of  1891,  twenty-five  years  after  his 
own  college  days,  he  said,  "  If  I  were  younger  I  should 
have  to  play  foot-ball." 

9 


In  the  fall  of  1866  he  entered  Auburn  Theological  Semi- 
nary, graduating  from  there  in  the  spring  of  1869.  The 
following  summer  he  spent  at  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  as  stated 
supply  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  place.  His 
fondness  for  out-door  sports  did  not  leave  him,  and  in  his 
journal  of  that  summer  as  well  as  during  his  Seminary  life 
are  found  frequent  references  to  ball-games,  and  walking 
or  rowing  trips.  We  quote  here  from  a  letter  from  the 
present  pastor  of  the  Cortland  church,  which  shows  that 
thirty  years  have  not  sufficed  entirely  to  efface  the  memory 
of  his  one  summer  there. 

"  As  you  so  well  know,  he  [Mr.  Hopkins]  had  the  call 
to  this  church  at  the  same  time  he  went  to  Clinton.  He 
has  ever  been  cherished  in  their  memory.  So  many  times 
during  my  first  few  months  as  pastor  here  in  '96,  as  I  would 
perhaps  engage  in  a  ball-game  with  the  boys,  or  enter  into 
the  life  of  the  young  people,  the  remark  would  honor  me, 
'He  makes  me  think  of  Mr.  Hopkins.'  And  after  the 
happy  Sabbath  they  had  with  him  a  year  or  so  ago,  upon 
my  return  very  many  thanked  me  personally  for  suggesting 
to  the  committee  to  seek  him  again  as  our  Sabbath  supply. 
Very  many  hearts  here  were  touched  by  his  earth  leave- 
taking." 

He  was  considering  a  call  to  become  the  permanent  pas- 
tor of  this  church  when  he  was  called  to  the  Chair  of  the 
Latin  Language  and  Literature  in  Hamilton  College.  The 
latter  position  was  very  attractive  to  him  from  the  first,  but 
he  felt  some  hesitation  at  leaving  the  active  work  of  the 
ministry  just  as  he  was  entering  upon  it,  feeling  that  it 
might  seem  almost  a  desertion.  He  saw,  however,  the 
wide  influence  possible  to  exert  in  a  collegiate  position,  and 
after  careful  thought  and  consultation  with  his  most  trusted 
friends  he  decided  to  accept  the  Latin  professorship.     In 

10 


the  autumn  of  1869  he  entered  upon  his  duties  as  Profes- 
sor of  Latin  in  Hamilton  College,  —  a  position  which  he 
filled  until  his  death  thirty  years  later. 

In  1872  he  was  married,  and  two  years  after,  in  July, 
1874,  he  sailed  for  Europe  with  his  wife,  having  been 
granted  leave  of  absence  for  the  first  term  of  the  next  col- 
lege year.  In  preferring  the  request  for  this  absence  to  the 
Trustees  of  the  College  he  said :  "  I  do  not  ask  this  indul- 
gence on  the  ground  of  long  or  efficient  service,  but  be- 
cause I  hope  by  it  to  become  of  greater  use  to  the  college 
and  to  my  own  department." 

The  six  months  of  European  travel  that  followed  proved 
a  time  of  rare  and  unqualified  enjoyment.  Scotland,  Eng- 
land, Paris,  the  Rhine,  a  month  in  Switzerland,  a  few  weeks 
of  Germany,  and  then  Italy,  —  and  Rome,  the  Mecca  of  his 
pilgrimage.  There  he  found  himself  as  it  were  at  home, 
and  he  went  eagerly  and  with  unerring  instinct  from  spot 
to  spot  made  memorable  by  historic  associations.  He 
examined,  studied,  compared,  and  by  his  vivid  descrip- 
tions almost  made  his  companion  see  in  their  ancient  splen- 
dor the  once  gorgeous  palaces  of  the  Caesars  or  the  Golden 
House  of  Nero.  His  journal  of  that  time  is  interesting 
reading.  He  writes  of  hearing  Canon  Liddon  and  Dean 
Stanley  preach  in  Westminster ;  of  seeing  Thiers  repeatedly 
in  Italy.  Fond  as  he  always  was  of  mountain  scenery, 
the  grandeur  of  the  Alps  profoundly  excited  and  impressed 
him.     Of  a  sunrise  on  the  Rigi,  he  writes  :  — 

"  On  going  out  found  a  number  of  people  on  the  Kulm 
admiring  the  scene  and  waiting  for  the  sun  to  rise.  The 
horn  had  roused  us  in  good  season  and  we  had  plenty  of 
time  to  study  out  the  outline  of  the  Alps.  Far  to  the  left 
we  saw  the  conical  peak  of  the  Mythen  and  the  great 
glacier  of  the  Glarmisch.     But  most  wonderful  of  all  were 

11 


the  great  peaks  of  the  Bernese  Oberland.  We  clearly 
made  out  the  Finsteraarhorn,  the  Shreckhorn,  and  the 
three  peaks  of  the  Wetterhorn  —  the  Monch,  Eiger,  and 
Jungfrau.  Soon  all  eyes  were  turned  to  the  east,  where 
the  horizon  was  growing  more  and  more  ruddy  with  the 
coming  day,  and  the  sun  came  up  bathing  the  great  peaks 
of  the  Oberland  with  purple.  The  Lakes  of  Zug  and 
Lucerne  were  partly  covered  with  a  heavy  mist  or  cloud, 
which  had  the  appearance  of  huge  masses  of  ice  tumbled  in 
endless  confusion,  —  a  scene  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of 
which  one  could  never  exhaust  or  describe." 

His  account  of  the  journey  to  Rome  shows  his  keen  feel- 
ing for  the  classical  interest  of  the  Italian  country :  — 

44  The  road  lay  through  a  beautiful  country,  with  rich 
gardens  and  orchards  on  every  side.  The  tunnels  were 
very  numerous,  and  the  road  wound  about  to  accommodate 
itself  to  the  line  of  the  Apennines.  Found  the  ride  very 
interesting.  All  the  towns  were  on  considerable  eleva- 
tions, with  here  and  there  old  castles  or  fortresses  seated 
on  the  summits  of  hills.  A  little  beyond  Cortona  we 
touched  upon  Lake  Trasimenus,  the  scene  of  Hannibal's 
great  victory.  Tried  to  make  out  the  geography  as  well  as 
I  could.  Toward  the  lower  part  of  the  lake,  the  cliffs  and 
hills  rise  abruptly  within  three  hundred  feet  of  the  lake, 
and  it  is  very  clear  how  the  Romans  were  walled  in  and 
cut  to  pieces.  Soon  after  leaving  Perugia  we  had  our  first 
view  of  the  Tiber,  and  crossed  it,  —  a  small  and  pretty 
stream  at  that  point,  but  gradually  growing  larger  and  re- 
ceiving additions.  Near  Narni  saw  the  ruins  of  what  was 
once  a  splendid  bridge  on  the  Via  Flaminia.  Two  or 
three  of  the  lofty  piers  were  still  standing." 

He  returned  to  Clinton  in  January,  1875,  and  took  up  his 
work  with  renewed  interest  and  satisfaction.     During  this 

12 


year  and  the  following  he  was  a  good  deal  out  of  health 
and  suffered  from  recurrent  attacks  of  violent  pain,  which 
had  a  prostrating  effect.  He  was  not  however  obliged  to 
interrupt  his  college  work  for  more  than  a  few  days  at  a 
time.  The  summer  of  1876  he  passed  in  Saratoga  under 
the  care  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Gray  of  New  York,  who  after 
some  months'  treatment  effected  a  complete  cure.  Dr. 
Gray  was  at  the  time  a  man  of  advanced  years,  but  he  and 
his  patient  became  great  friends.  The  daily  morning 
medical  examination  was  almost  uniformly  followed  by  the 
reading  together  of  some  Latin  author,  or  the  discussion  of 
some  point  of  classical  interest. 

Always  fond  of  the  water,  in  1882  Mr.  Hopkins  bought 
a  point  of  land  among  the  Thousand  Islands,  and  there  the 
next  year  built  a  pleasant  summer  cottage.  From  that 
time  most  of  his  summer  vacations  were  spent  in  this 
beautiful  region  with  his  wife  and  daughter,  —  his  only 
child,  —  and  usually  as  many  friends  as  the  little  cottage 
could  conveniently  accommodate.  The  summers  here  were 
a  constantly  increasing  pleasure,  and  were  looked  forward 
to  from  year  to  year  with  renewed  interest. 

While  at  this  summer  home  he  regularly  attended  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  and  always  preached  there  several 
times  during  the  summer,  hoping  in  that  way  to  lighten 
somewhat  the  labors  of  the  pastor.  Some  fifty  years  ago 
this  little  church  was  founded  as  a  mission  by  Dr.  George 
W.  Bethune,  and  was  later  enlarged  and  improved  by  Dr.  J. 
G.  Holland,  who  felt  a  keen  interest  in  its  prosperity.  It 
is  a  beautiful  proof  of  the  affection  in  which  Mr.  Hopkins 
was  held  at  the  River  that  a  number  of  his  friends  have 
placed  in  this  old  Stone  Church  a  Hopkins  memorial  window. 

The  summer  of  1887  was  a  memorable  one  for  Clinton 
people,  as  during   it   the  village  celebrated  its  one  hun- 

13 


dredth  anniversary,  and  the  presence  of  President  and  Mrs. 
Cleveland  gave  the  occasion  a  sort  of  national  interest 
which  it  could  hardly  otherwise  have  inspired.  Mr.  Hop- 
kins delivered  the  historical  address  on  this  occasion. 

In  the  spring  of  1888  he  attended  as  Commissioner  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  held  at 
Philadelphia.  This  was  the  famous  centennial  meeting 
when  the  Northern  and  Southern  churches  united,  and  Mr. 
Hopkins  felt  it  an  especial  privilege  to  be  able  to  attend  a 
gathering  of  such  unusual  interest. 

In  the  summer  of  1890  he  again  sailed  for  Europe, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  intending  to  be  absent  only  for 
the  summer  vacation.  He  had  always  wished  and  hoped 
to  be  able  to  spend  a  year  in  foreign  study,  and  even  on 
the  voyage  over  the  thought  came  to  him  that  his  desire 
might  possibly  be  carried  out  at  this  time.  After  some 
correspondence  the  matter  was  arranged,  and  he  began  to 
plan  for  the  year  of  work  before  him.  The  first  month  of 
the  summer  was  passed  in  Berlin,  where  he  gained  some 
familiarity  with  the  methods  of  work  at  German  univer- 
sities, and  enjoyed  hearing  the  lectures  of  such  men  as 
Curtius  and  Harnack.  The  remainder  of  the  summer  was 
spent  in  travel  in  Germany,  visiting  among  other  places  the 
little  village  of  Oberammergau,  and  seeing  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions  the  famous  Passion  Play.  In  writing 
of  it  he  says:  "I  think,  taking  it  all  together,  it  is  the 
most  remarkable  and  impressive  spectacle  I  have  ever 
seen." 

Soon  after  reaching  Germany  he  was  saddened  by  the 
news  of  Dr.  Peters'  sudden  death.  He  writes  of  it :  "  We 
are  overwhelmed  by  the  news.  ...  I  was  very  much 
attached  to  Dr.  Peters.  I  admired  him  for  his  simple, 
modest,  and  yet  profound  and  genuine  scholarship.     The 

14 


college  has  suffered  a  severe  blow,  and  how  his  loss  can 
even  in  a  measure  be  made  good,  I  do  not  see.  I  deeply 
regret  that  I  cannot  be  there  at  this  time.  I  should  like  at 
least  the  satisfaction  of  expressing  myself  in  some  public 
way  as  to  my  respect  for  the  character  of  the  man,  —  for 
his  religious  as  well  as  his  scientific  and  scholarly  char- 
acter. Our  minds  were  in  a  whirl  all  day  yesterday  over 
the  news,  and  though  we  were  doing  other  things,  our 
thoughts  came  back  constantly  to  Dr.  Peters.  .  .  .  Doubt- 
less there  will  be  some  suitable  memorial  service  next  term 
after  the  college  opens.  He  abhorred  all  display,  but  the 
college  owes  it  to  itself  to  honor  his  memory  and  his 
work." 

In  October  he  went  to  Leipzig,  and  there  settled  with  his 
family  for  the  winter,  being  drawn  thither  largely  by  the 
fame  of  Ribbeck,  the  great  Plautus  scholar.  Here  he 
passed  the  winter  advantageously  and  pleasantly.  The 
intervals  of  study  were  filled  with  pleasant  excursions  and 
in  hearing  the  music  for  which  Leipzig  is  so  justly  famous. 
His  love  for  music  and  his  perfect  musical  taste  made  this 
latter  feature  of  the  winter  a  rare  treat  to  him.  To  be 
able  to  hear  each  week  performances  by  the  best  classical 
orchestra  in  Germany,  to  hear  the  great  artists  who  came 
from  all  over  Europe  to  take  part  in  the  famous  Gewand- 
haus  Concerts,  to  gain  familiarity  with  the  Wagner  music 
and  some  understanding  of  it,  to  see  the  masterpieces  of 
German  literature  finely  presented,  all  these  things  were 
sources  of  constant  pleasure. 

In  the  spring  of  1891  he  went  to  Italy,  and  there  passed 
two  months  renewing  and  extending  his  acquaintance  with 
scenes  and  monuments  already  familiar,  and  in  tracing  out 
the  new  excavations  since  his  former  visit  to  Rome,  seven- 
teen years  earlier. 

15 


During  the  year  he  had  been  a  good  deal  troubled  with 
a  lame  hand,  which  interfered  with  his  writing  very  con- 
siderably. He  supposed  it  was  writer's  cramp,  and  felt 
entirely  well  in  other  respects.  But  the  German  physician 
whom  he  consulted  said  from  the  outset,  "  It  is  not  true 
writer's  cramp,"  laying,  however,  great  stress  upon  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  giving  the  hand  entire  rest.  It  gradually 
improved,  though  for  several  years  he  relieved  himself  from 
writing  as  much  as  possible  by  using  a  type- writer. 

In  the  early  fall  of  1891  he  reached  home  after  an 
absence  of  fourteen  months.  During  that  time  many 
changes  had  taken  place  in  the  college  faculty.  The 
President  had  died  and  Professor  North  was  Acting  Presi- 
dent. Mr.  Hopkins  was  appointed  Dean  of  the  Faculty  by 
the  Trustees,  and  continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity  until 
his  death.  Two  summers  had  been  spent  in  Europe.  The 
next  two  also  he  was  obliged  regretfully  to  pass  away 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  cottage.  The  vacation  of  1892  he 
gave  to  steady  work  on  his  annotated  edition  of  the 
"  Agricola  and  Germania "  of  Tacitus,  which  was  issued 
in  the  following  year.  The  next  summer  was  passed  with 
relatives  near  Chicago,  enjoying  leisurely  the  sights  of  the 
great  Exposition. 

I  wish  to  speak  of  a  few  of  Mr.  Hopkins'  characteristics 
which  perhaps  have  not  been  especially  touched  on  by 
others. 

One  was  his  great  love  and  tenderness  for  little  children. 
Plow  they  delighted  in  him!  There  was  never  a  child 
that  would  not  stretch  out  its  little  hands  to  go  to  him  and 
remain  wholly  contented  as  long  as  he  held  it  in  his  strong 
arms.  He  was  fond,  too,  of  animals,  and  rarely  passed  one 
of  the  household  pets  without  the  caressing  touch  which 
they  always  seemed  to  expect  from  him. 

10 


He  never  outgrew  his  boyhood's  fondness  for  exercise  in 
the  open  air,  and  for  games  of  skill.  He  loved  sport  for 
sport's  sake.  He  said  sometimes  that  he  thought  the  boys 
of  the  present  day  did  not  love  the  exercise  itself  as  he 
used  to,  but  cared  too  much  for  the  competition  involved. 
He  was  very  fond  of  rowing,  and  during  the  summers  spent 
at  the  Thousand  Islands  nothing  pleased  him  more  than  to 
start  off  with  friends  for  a  long  day  on  the  water.  It 
came  to  be  a  recognized  feature  of  the  summer  to  take  one 
day  for  a  row  around  Wells  Island,  resting  for  a  picnic 
dinner  at  some  pleasant  spot.  This  was  a  row  of  some 
twenty-four  miles,  and  needed  a  strong  and  untiring  arm. 

The  singular  purity  both  of  his  written  and  spoken 
language  has  been  referred  to  by  another.  His  reading 
was  done  in  the  most  careful  manner,  and  he  made  all  he 
read  his  own.  He  read  with  pencil  in  hand,  and  there  is 
hardly  a  book  of  his  in  which  he  has  not  made  notes  on  the 
blank  leaves  at  the  back.  Those  notes  were  often  so  com- 
plete as  almost  to  form  an  index.  Every  inaccuracy  or 
error  was  carefully  noted,  as  well  as  any  expression  which 
seemed  to  him  at  all  slovenly  or  careless.  He  often  said 
"  I  am  not  a  purist,"  but  he  could  hardly  have  been  more 
exact  if  he  had  made  that  claim.  And  yet  there  was  never 
any  visible  effort  after  effect.  The  best  words  seemed  to 
be  his  natural  form  of  expression. 

His  religious  tolerance  was  wide  and  far-reaching.  He 
held  that  there  are  few  essentials  in  religious  belief ;  that 
man  has  no  right  to  ask  more  than  Christ  asks ;  that  those 
who  seem  far  apart  are  often  close  together  in  the  things 
that  make  for  eternal  life.  On  one  occasion  he  was  asked 
by  a  friend  to  talk  with  an  elderly  person,  of  saintly  life 
but  of  somewhat  peculiar  beliefs,  on  the  subject  of  personal 
religion.  He  replied  that  when  a  person  had  lived  such  a 
2  17 


life  as  hers  he  did  not  think  any  of  her  friends  need  feel 
troubled  about  her  eternal  welfare. 

Yet  this  wide  tolerance  never  influenced  the  strength  of 
his  personal  convictions.  All  his  life  and  back  in  the  col- 
lege days,  when  sin  to  so  many  boys  puts  on  a  pleasant 
and  enticing  face,  he  always  had  the  clear  vision.  For 
many  a  one  his  care  and  helpful  words  at  exactly  the  right 
time  opened  the  dull  eyes  and  showed  the  better  way ; 
and  not  only  showed  the  way,  but  persuaded  to  walk 
therein.  He  seldom  spoke  to  others  on  the  subject  of  per- 
sonal religion,  but  his  life  was  eloquent.  Perhaps  because 
he  spoke  little  of  such  matters  he  had  the  greater  influ- 
ence. One  said:  "I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  he  has 
helped  me  in  my  religious  life,  —  not  by  talking  to  me,  but 
by  showing  me  by  his  life  how  to  live."  He  little  knew 
how  great  his  influence  really  was,  nor  how  much  he  was 
loved.     His  death  revealed  both. 

In  the  spring  of  1899  he  seemed  more  than  usually  tired 
with  the  year's  work  and  also  somewhat  exhausted  by  the 
hot  weather,  which  came  quite  early.  Perhaps  on  that 
account  he,  as  well  as  his  family,  looked  forward  with  un- 
usual eagerness  to  the  summer's  rest,  and  planned  to  leave 
home  for  the  cottage  on  the  St.  Lawrence  as  early  as  pos- 
sible after  the  college  commencement.  There  was  not  the 
slightest  foreboding,  however,  of  any  serious  trouble,  and 
when  on  the  3d  of  June  he  mentioned  for  the  first  time  a 
strange  feeling  in  his  arm,  it  was  thought  that  the  old 
difficulty  of  1891  had  attacked  him  in  a  more  aggravated 
form,  —  especially  as  for  some  months  he  had  again  been 
troubled  with  his  hand  in  writing.  But  in  a  few  days 
other  symptoms  developed  ;  the  trouble  was  recognized  as 
a  serious  one  ;  his  splendid  strength  failed.  In  two  weeks 
he   was   completely  prostrated.      For    nearly  six   weeks 

18 


longer  he  stayed  with  us.  There  was  little  pain  or  dis- 
tress of  any  kind,  but  despite  every  effort  the  disease 
made  progress,  and  there  was  no  return  of  strength. 

It  was  a  peaceful  illness.  He  slept  much,  like  a  tired 
child,  and  so  the  end  came. 

"  God  gave  to  his  beloved  sleep.  And  then  an  awaking 
which  will  require  no  more  restoring  slumber.' ' 

Below  the  college,  looking  toward  the  sunrise,  that 
"  temple  in  which  he  once  lived  with  God "  rests  on  the 
green  hillside,  — 

"  the  sepulchre, 
Oh,  not  of  him,  but  of  our  joy !  " 


19 


THE  funeral  of  Professor  Hopkins  took  place  at  his 
late  residence,  on  Monday,  July  31st,  at  4  p.m., 
and  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  M.  Woolsey  Stryker, 
President  of  Hamilton  College,  and  Rev.  Dr.  W.  R.  Ter- 
rett.  The  business  places  of  the  village  were  closed 
during  the  hour. 

The  bearers  were  the  three  brothers  of  Professor  Hop- 
kins :  Rev.  Stephen  G.  Hopkins  and  Hon.  Woolsey  R. 
Hopkins,  of  Auburn,  and  John  H.  Hopkins,  Esq.,  of 
Rochester ;  Chester  Huntington,  Esq.,  of  Flushing,  a  class- 
mate of  Professor  Hopkins ;  Professor  Albert  H.  Chester, 
of  Rutgers  College,  and  Rev.  Arthur  S.  Hoyt,  D.D.,  of 
Auburn  Theological  Seminary;  the  last  three  formerly 
members  of  the  Faculty  of  Hamilton  College  and  colleagues 
of  Professor  Hopkins. 

At  the  opening  of  the  service  a  quartette  from  Utica, 
consisting  of  Mrs.  Winters,  Miss  Thompson,  Mr.  E. 
Stewart,  and  Mr.  H.  H.  Klock,  sang  the  hymn  "All 
Saints." 

After  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  by  Dr.  Terrett,  the 
quartette  sang  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd." 

The  same  arrangement  of  this  hymn  had  been  sung  by 
the  College  Choir  at  the  last  Sunday  chapel  which  Professor 
Hopkins  attended,  and  was  especially  enjoyed  by  him,  and 
repeatedly  mentioned  during  the  few  following  days.  The 
singing  was  followed  by  — 

21 


l&tfh  preaitout  Strutter's  ^Tfirrem 

Dear  friends  and  neighbors  :  We  are  met  here  this  after- 
noon to  mourn  with,  and  if  it  were  possible,  to  comfort 
those  who  are  overshadowed  by  this  great  loss.  This  is 
neither  the  proper  time  nor  place  for  elaborate  commemora- 
tion and  analysis  ;  nor  for  any  attempt  even  with  our  fond 
vision  to  sum  and  estimate  the  value  of  the  life  that  has 
been  torn  from  us.  But  we  are  here  to  render  our  tribute 
of  affectionate  sympathy ;  to  thank  God  and  take  courage 
by  the  tokens  of  what  he  was  who  has  gone  from  us,  and 
who  it  seems  so  impossible  for  us  to  think  has  really  gone. 
It  is  all  strange  to  us,  but  it  is  not  strange  to  him.  He 
understands.  He  is  at  home,  and  is  no  stranger  there, 
where  the  questions  that  perplex  us  here  are  answered. 
He  is  under  the  tuition  of  the  angels,  and  face  to  face  with 
God.  We  believe  we  have  warrant  in  the  word  of  Christ 
to  say  that  he  is  with  those  who  loved  him,  and  whom 
he  loved,  and  who  went  before,  and  we  are  assured  that 
tho  he  shall  not  return  to  us,  we  may  go  to  him.  So 
God  grant  it. 

We  lay  a  wreath  upon  the  sheathed  sword.  We  gather 
up  a]l  the  personal  affection  and  tender  admiration,  in  the 
presence  of  our  stricken  hopes  and  responsibilities  to  say 
"  God  knows  as  we  cannot,  and  in  his  sight  where  he 
sees  now,  whom  we  loved,  we  shall  see."  If  his  voice,  so 
familiar  to  us  could  speak,  I  am  sure  he  would  be  saying 
after  his  Lord :  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled ;  if  it 
were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you."  All  is  well.  He 
now  knows  the  mighty  truth  that  with  the  Lord  one  day 
is  as  a  thousand  years.     He  knows,  where  we  are  only 

22 


guessing.  He  knows  these  things  we  know  but  in  part 
and  see  with  eyes  darkly  shaded.  His  is  the  open  vision. 
Blessed  be  God  for  another  elected  to  triumph  ;  for  another 
saint  in  Paradise ;  for  another  faithful  servant  hearing  the 
"  Well  done." 

God  forbid  that  we  should  attempt  in  trite  and  conven- 
tional words  to  estimate  his  life  work  or  to  soothe  sore 
hearts.  Yet  let  the  nearest  and  dearest  smile  thro  tears 
to  think  what  precious  legacies  are  left  in  the  influences  of 
a  life  such  as  this  was  ;  a  life  pure  from  its  beginning ;  faith- 
ful thro  all  the  strenuousness  of  youth.  Here  was  one 
who  lived  a  young  man's  life  in  soberness,  justice,  peace, 
honor,  and  who  came  to  maturity  strengthened  by  the 
absolute  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him.  The  high  hopes 
were  justified.  In  a  career  that  was  a  true  career,  if  not 
bruited  and  blazoned  far  and  wide,  a  man's  work  was  faith- 
fully done,  and  we  do  not  forget  that  thirty  years  are 
reached  this  summer,  —  thirty  years  of  fidelity.  The  stu- 
dents of  the  College  trusted  this  man.  They  believed  in  his 
justice,  his  broad  sympathy  and  his  fairness ;  in  his  good- 
will, affection,  disinterestedness,  and  his  zeal  to  help,  —  and 
they  believed  well.  Looking  closely  upon  it  we  find  that 
he  has  been  doing  his  work  steadily  and  rightly  all  his  life, 
and  abler  and  better  every  passing  year. 

Who  shall  fill  his  place ;  be  what  he  was ;  do  what  he 
did  ?  None.  It  is  true  that  the  world  must  go  on ;  the 
machinery  cannot  stop;  but  there  are  lives  the  loss  of 
which  is  irreparable,  and  from  our  place  of  view  I  think 
this  is  a  loss  that  we  can  never  mend,  yet  also  a  gain  and 
a  blessing  that  memory  can  never  lose.  It  seems  unfor- 
tunate that  a  life  so  sure,  so  natural,  and  so  calm,  should 
be  stricken  down  with  a  bolt  that  might  fall  on  others. 
We  do  not  know  what  is  the  natural  or  the  unnatural.     I 

23 


remember  years  ago  his  saying  in  a  college  meeting,  as  he 
spoke  of  a  friend  then  dead,  in  words  I  have  never  ceased 
to  cherish  —  they  are  from  the  Apocrypha :  —  "He  being 
made  perfect  in  a  short  time,  fulfilled  a  long  time,  for  his 
soul  pleased  God." 

We  tell  this  household  that  the  community  mourns 
with  them.  The  church  has  lost  a  faithful  preacher,  a 
good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ.  For  the  College  we  tell  them 
there  shall  ever  remain  the  heritage  of  his  life  and  its  endur- 
ing influence.  I  suppose  there  is  not  one  here  who  does  not 
remember  his  kindly  word,  that  sweet,  fair  smile,  the  grasp 
of  that  warm  hand.  These  are  grand  memories,  good 
friends.  Let  us  try  to  leave  some  of  them  when  we  go. 
Let  us  seek  to  leave  an  example  of  steadfastness,  like  a 
tower  of  rock,  like  an  anchor  in  the  spume  of  the  sea, 
like  a  lamp  in  a  dark  night. 

4 '  The  mourners  throng  the  way,  and  from  the  steeple 
The  funeral  bell  tolls  slow; 
But  on  the  golden  streets  the  holy  people 
Are  passing  to  and  fro, 

And  saying  as  they  meet,  '  Rejoice  !  another, 

Long  waited  for,  is  come.' 
The  Saviour's  heart  is  glad ;  a  younger  brother 

Hath  reached  the  Father's  home." 

The  speaker  closed  with  prayer.     The  quartette   sang 
"  Lead,  kindly  Light." 
Dr.  Stryker  closed  the  service  with  the  benediction. 

The  chapel  bell  tolled  as  the  long  procession  wound  its 
way  up  College  Hill.  The  grave  is  in  the  centre  of  the 
college  cemetery.  The  hymn  "  There  is  a  land  of  pure 
delight "  was  sung  at  the  grave.  The  committal  service 
was  conducted  by  Dr.  Stryker. 

24 


Mtnwvixl  gfrtrbitt. 

AMEMORIAL  service  was  held  in  the  College  Chapel, 
October  10,  at  3  p.  m.  The  account  of  the  service 
which  follows  is  taken  from  the  Utica  Daily  Press  of  Oct. 
11,  1899:  — 

The  Hamilton  College  chapel  was  well  filled  yesterday  after- 
noon by  those  who  had  come  to  pay  their  tribute  of  respect  to 
the  memory  of  Dr.  Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins,  late  Professor  of 
Latin  in  Hamilton  College.  Dr.  Hopkins  died  during  the  sum- 
mer vacation,  and  the  services  yesterday  afternoon  were  a 
memorial  conducted  by  his  one  time  colleagues  of  the  faculty, 
and  were  open  to  the  students  of  the  college  and  friends  of  the 
deceased  professor.  The  service  was  a  most  impressive  one, 
one  whose  influence  was  visible  in  the  countenances  of  the 
students  as  they  gathered  in  groups  about  the  campus,  one  not 
soon  to  be  forgotten  by  any  of  the  many  who  were  present. 
The  faculty  occupied  the  faculty  seats  facing  the  audience,  and 
the  various  classes  were  in  their  respective  rows  of  seats.  Back 
of  the  student  body,  and  in  the  galleries,  were  the  friends, 
for  the  most  part  Clinton  people.  Upon  the  platform  sat 
President  Stryker  and  Dr.  William  R.  Terrett.  As  the  clock 
struck  three  President  Stryker  rose  and  made  a  brief  address, 
calling  to  mind  the  many  lovable  characteristics  of  him  who 
is  gone. 

"  Dear  friends,"  he  said,  "  we  are  met  here  to  honor  the 
memory  of  one  whom  we  ail  loved.  This  beautiful  October 
day  is  particularly  fitting  for  this  occasion.  Our  friend  had 
not  yet  reached  the  sere  of  old  age.  The  winter  of  life  had  not 
yet  stricken  him.  He  was  in  the  early  autumn  of  life.  He  was 
taken  from  us  when  at  the  very  climax  of  his  usefulness.     So 

25 


this  day,  almost  untouched  as  yet  by  the  decay  of  the  coming 
winter,  is  a  most  harmonious  one  on  which  to  formally  revere 
his  memory." 

In  closing,  Dr.  Stryker  said  that  Dr.  Terrett  had  been 
selected  by  the  faculty  to  deliver  the  memorial  address.  The 
president  then  read  appropriate  selections  of  Scripture  and 
offered  a  brief  prayer.  After  a  hymn  sung  by  the  congrega- 
tion, Dr.  Terrett  delivered  the  following  address.  To  those 
who  knew  Dr.  Hopkins,  the  absolute  fitness  and  lack  of  exag- 
geration of  every  sentence  came  home  forcibly,  and  the  words 
of  the  speaker  were  heard  with  the  closest  attention. 

When  Dr.  Terrett  ceased  speaking  there  was  an  impressive 
pause,  lasting  nearly  a  minute.  The  audience  then  rose  and 
sang  "  Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee,"  after  which  they  were  dis- 
missed with  a  word  of  prayer  by  President  Stryker.  The  ser- 
vice was  a  splendid  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a  noble  man. 


fUih  Bv.  KtttttVn  ®ttoxtnn. 

I  shall  attempt  this  afternoon  only  what  I  shall  ven- 
ture to  describe  as  a  loving  appreciation  of  Dr.  Hopkins' 
character  and  career. 

I  do  not  feel  competent  to  speak  adequately  of  Dr. 
Hopkins  as  a  scholar  or  as  a  teacher.  This  I  will  say, 
however,  that  among  other  highest  qualifications  for  suc- 
cess as  a  teacher  he  possessed  this,  that  he  always  gathered 
that  he  might  give.  He  thought  no  scholarship  too  fine 
and  rare  to  be  put  at  the  service  of  his  pupils.  He  thought 
no  research  too  difficult  to  pursue  which  was  necessary  to 
make  completer  his  equipment  for  his  work  as  a  teacher  in 
the  college,  as  an  interpreter  to  young  minds  of  the  noble 
language  and  literature  to  whose  study  he  had  devoted 
his  life. 

26 


Dr.  Mark  Hopkins,  of  Williams  College,  used  to  say  that 
when  he  was  called  in  early  life  to  a  professorship  in  the 
institution  of  which  he  was  for  many  years  the  president, 
he  settled  it  with  himself  decisively  that  he  would  subordi- 
nate all  other  aims  and  ambitions  to  that  of  becoming  a 
successful  teacher.  He  thought  that  one  who  was  called 
to  the  career  which  he  had  chosen  must  decide  whether  he 
would  be  a  teacher  first,  or  something  else  first,  perhaps 
an  author.  It  seemed  to  him  that  teachers  sometimes 
sacrificed  the  interests  of  their  pupils  to  the  interests 
of  their  fame  as  investigators  or  writers  of  books.  He 
resolved  that  he  would  be  a  teacher  first,  that  he  would 
make  the  attainment  of  success  in  teaching  the  aim  of  all 
his  study,  research,  investigation,  of  the  enlargement  and 
enrichment  of  his  stores  of  knowledge,  of  the  finer  develop- 
ment of  his  moral  and  intellectual  powers.  He  lived  to 
teach,  and  that  was  the  reason  why  he  became,  perhaps, 
the  most  illustrious  pure  teacher  which  this  country  has 
produced. 

We  may  say  with  confidence  concerning  our  Dr.  Hop- 
kins, as  we  love  to  call  him,  that  he  magnified  his  office  as 
a  teacher,  not  in  claiming  for  it  perquisite  or  privilege  or 
prerogative,  but  by  dedicating  to  it  unreservedly  all  the 
large  and  rich  resources  of  his  scholarship  and  intellectual 
power.  The  ample  results  of  studies  pursued  in  different 
lands  and  languages  and  literatures  were  all  put  freely  at 
the  use  and  service  of  his  students,  and  were  gathered  and 
garnered  with  that  end  in  view.  It  is  a  vast  enrichment 
for  a  college  when  a  man  like  Dr.  Hopkins,  so  endowed 
with  native  powers,  so  equipped  with  learning  and  culture, 
is  willing  to  give  himself  for  thirty  years,  his  heart,  his 
mind,  his  manhood,  with  absolute  completeness  of  devotion 
and  surrender  to  her  teaching  work. 

27 


Then  he  taught  so  much,  —  so  much,  I  mean,  beside 
Latin.  Perfectly  unconsciously,  the  chief  lesson  of  his 
teaching  was  himself.  Edward  Everett  Hale  has  said 
about  Longfellow  as  a  teacher  :  "  All  poor  teachers  let  the 
book  come  between  them  and  the  pupil.  Great  teachers 
never  do.  Longfellow  never  did."  We  have  the  amplest 
evidence  that  Dr.  Hopkins'  pupils  felt  profoundly  the 
influence  of  his  strong  and  noble  personality.  One  writes 
of  him  since  his  death :  "  Not  only  did  I  look  upon  him  as 
my  instructor  in  college,  but  as  my  instructor  in  all  that  is 
manly  and  Christlike.  To  me  his  life  was  an  inspiration 
not  only  to  think  but  to  act,  not  only  to  know  but  to  do." 
So  many  tell  us  that  they  were  inspired  by  him,  that  he 
was  for  them  a  creator  of  ideals.  One  writes,  "  To  me  he 
was  an  ideal  man,"  and  another,  "  He  was  my  ideal  of  the 
honest,  earnest,  manly  man."  One  who  knew  him  long 
and  was  among  the  earliest  students  in  his  college  classes 
writes :  "  He  was  one  of  the  ideals  of  my  boyhood.  I  re- 
member as  though  but  yesterday  the  thrill  his  manly  pres- 
ence gave  me  as  he  came  into  the  old  Sophomore  room  in 
South  College.  The  years  of  fellowship  with  him  were 
unbroken  privilege.  The  ideal  of  youth  was  never  shat- 
tered.''' This  is  the  highest,  the  divinest  mission  and 
ministry  of  a  teacher,  to  inspire  ennobling  admirations,  to 
fill  with  pure  and  fine  ideals  the  atmosphere  of  the  college 
world,  where  young  men  are,  generation  after  generation, 
learning  hero  worship,  making  their  life  choices,  slowly 
acquiring  the  abiding  self  and  soul  which  shall  determine 
career  and  character  and  destiny  forever. 

He  did  so  much  more  than  teach,  —  so  much  more  for 
the  college.  He  never  thought  that  he  had  done  his  full 
duty  to  the  college  when  he  finished  his  work  in  the  class 
room  or  in  the  examination  hall.     In  him  the  social  con- 

28 


sciousness  and  the  social  conscience  had  reached  high  evo- 
lution. He  knew  that  a  college  is  a  brotherhood,  that 
there  are  brotherhood  duties  which  some  one  must  perform, 
brotherhood  responsibilities  which  some  one  must  assume 
and  bear.  It  is  probable  that  we  underestimate  the  educa- 
tional value  of  the  corporate  life  of  the  college.  At  any 
rate  the  vigor  and  beauty  of  that  life  will  depend  upon  the 
number  of  students  and  instructors  who  find  thought  and 
time  for  public  use  and  service.  Dr.  Hopkins  always  did 
his  part.  One  writes  of  him,  speaking  of  the  services 
which  he  rendered  to  the  village  community:  "I  write 
with  a  vivid  recollection  of  his  spontaneous  sympathy  with 
every  effort  to  sweeten  and  inspire  our  common  social  life 
with  the  love  of  the  highest  which  he  felt."  No  call  to 
public  duty  ever  met  refusal  from  his  large  and  gracious 
nature,  to  which  everything  that  was  human  was  a  matter 
of  deepest  interest  and  concern. 

I  wish  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  singularly  fine 
qualities  of  literary  style  which  distinguished  Dr.  Hopkins' 
writings.  I  have  thought  that  his  speeches  and  sermons 
were  seldom  equalled  for  facility  and  felicity  of  expres- 
sion. I  have  sometimes  described  the  circumstances  under 
which  I  first  heard  Dr.  Hopkins  make  a  public  address. 
Soon  after  I  came  to  Clinton  to  reside  I  attended  the 
funeral  of  one  of  your  leading  citizens.  As  soon  as  the 
clergyman  who  conducted  the  service  began  his  address  I 
was  impressed  by  its  beauty  and  dignity.  It  seemed  to 
possess  perfectly  the  qualities  which  should  distinguish 
words  spoken  on  such  an  occasion.  I  asked  one  who  sat 
by  me  who  the  speaker  was,  and  was  told  it  was  Professor 
Hopkins  of  the  college.  It  always  seemed  to  me  that  his 
sermons  were  remarkable  for  the  completeness  and  ade- 
quacy with  which  they  treated  large  and  worthy  themes. 

29 


They  were  fine  in  forms  of  expression,  as  his  writings 
always  were.  There  was  a  marshalling  and  movement  of 
cogent  reasonings  toward  just  conclusions.  There  was  no 
lack  of  color,  the  play  of  the  imagination,  and  of  illuminat- 
ing illustrations  which  his  familiarity  with  histories  and 
literatures  supplied.  He  was  a  facile  and  finished  writer, 
a  sane  and  vigorous  thinker,  a  preacher  in  whose  sermons 
the  lights  of  culture  and  of  character  shone  together,  upon 
paths  that  climb  toward  high  and  honorable  achievement 
in  the  ideal  and  heroic  life. 

In  speaking  of  Dr.  Hopkins'  character  I  want  specially 
to  avoid  analysis.  We  seldom  analyze  what  we  love. 
What  the  picture  means,  what  the  poem  means,  what  the 
landscape  means,  what  the  life  means  as  a  whole,  in  its 
entirety,  is  the  measure  of  its  worth  and  wealth  to  the 
world.  And  there  is  in  each  of  us  a  core  of  character  that 
dominates  details.  We  found  in  him  a  certain  sweet 
serenity  and  sanity  of  soul,  like  sunshine,  a  character  most 
rare,  most  beautiful,  compounded  of  the  intellectual,  the 
physical,  the  spiritual,  of  the  whole  mind  and  man. 

This  character  showed  itself  in  many  noble  qualities,  in 
modesty  and  courtesy,  in  kindliness  and  courage,  in  a  large 
and  gracious  tolerance  of  judgment,  in  incapacity  for  little- 
nesses of  ambition  and  rivalry,  in  abhorrence  of  ostentation 
and  display,  in  freedom  from  fantasies,  vagaries,  and  fever- 
ish fanaticisms  of  transient  excitement,  in  quiet,  tranquil 
devotion  to  duty  and  acquiescence  in  the  will  of  God. 
The  movement  of  his  nature  was  not  like  the  tempest  gust 
that  beats  the  ocean  into  sudden  fury,  but  like  the  trade 
winds,  tireless,  resistless,  half  heaven  in  motion,  that  bear 
the  sea's  travel  and  traffic  toward  the  desired  havens. 

His  was  a  finely  balanced  character,  without  eccen- 
tricities  or   exaggerations.     All  who  knew  him  well  ad- 

30 


mired  the  symmetry  of  his  character,  its  harmony  of  parts, 
its  equilibrium  of  powers.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  Brown, 
of  Union  Seminary,  writes  of  him :  "  A  life  of  rare  and 
exquisite  symmetry  has  gone  out  of  our  sight."  And  this 
involved  the  combination  of  qualities  which  are  sometimes 
regarded  as  inconsistent  with  each  other,  which  we  do  not, 
at  least  often,  find  together.  One  writes :  "  I  never  knew 
him  to  be  other  than  the  perfect  gentleman,  strong  and 
courageous  as  a  lion,  considerate  and  sympathetic  as  a 
woman."  Another  writes :  "  Since  my  college  days  I 
have  always  admired  his  character,  and  have  remembered 
his  combining  impartial  justice  with  kindly  interest  and  all 
with  courteous  manliness."  Chancellor  Upson  writes: 
"  That  God  should  take  out  of  this  life  so  much  culture, 
such  strength  of  mind,  such  breadth  of  view,  such  warmth 
of  heart,  shows  that  He  means  to  use  the  culture,  the 
strength,  the  breadth,  the  warmth,  elsewhere."  How 
seldom  do  we  find  these  qualities  combined  in  any  char- 
acter. We  found  them  all  in  him,  the  strength  and  tender- 
ness, the  justness  and  graciousness,  the  breadth  of  view,  the 
warmth  of  heart.     And  God  will  use  them  all  hereafter. 

He  was  one  who  by  a  divine  necessity  and  nobility  of 
his  nature  became  a  burden-bearer  for  others,  and  for 
society.  Most  of  us,  perhaps,  bind  burdens  for  other 
people  to  bear.  But  there  are  a  few  whose  strength  and 
sympathy  are  like  —  I  may  say  it  without  irreverence  — 
the  everlasting  arms  of  divine  love  and  power  beneath  the 
weakness  and  the  weariness  of  the  world.  There  are 
those  to  whom  the  words  of  Revelation  seem  to  apply 
most  aptly :  "  Him  that  overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in 
the  temple  of  my  God,"  —  those  who  in  the  various  asso- 
ciations and  affiliations  of  the  social  life  of  man,  the  home, 
the  church,  the  college,  the  state,  are  like  pillars,  massive 

31 


and  stately  columns,  upon  which  the  roof  rests,  upon 
which  the  walls  lean,  upon  whose  strength  the  structure 
stands  secure,  safe  for  use  and  habitation.  To  this  class 
Dr.  Hopkins  belonged.  How  we  all  learned  to  lean  upon 
him,  half  unconscious  of  the  strength  that  his  support 
supplied ! 

"  With  what  sublime  repression  of  himself  "  he  offered 
help  to  others.  Who  ever  heard  him  complain  or  even 
speak  of  the  burdens  which  he  carried  ?  He  never  asked, 
but  offered,  sympathy  and  succor.  And  how  worthy  he 
proved  himself  of  large  trusts.  It  is  said  that  after  Mira- 
beau  died  —  Mirabeau,  the  one  man  who  seemed  to  have 
the  wisdom  and  power  that  would  suffice  to  save  France 
from  the  desolations  of  a  popular  revolution  —  when  any 
question  of  grave  difficulty  was  being  debated  in  the 
National  Assembly,  all  eyes  turned  instinctively  to  the 
empty  chair  where  Mirabeau  had  been  wont  to  sit.  How 
often  shall  we  look  in  vain  to  that  place  of  counsel  and 
conduct  so  long  filled  with  perfect  fidelity  and  competency 
by  him  whom  we  miss  and  mourn. 

We  are  grateful  for  the  memory  of  his  beautiful  and 
beneficent  happiness.  T  say  beneficent,  for  it  seems  to  me 
that  there  is  no  benigner  influence  than  that  which  is 
exerted  by  the  happiness  of  those  who  have  a  right  to  be 
happy  because  they  are  the  trustful  and  obedient  children 
of  God.  An  hour's  companionship  with  Dr.  Hopkins  made 
this  seem  a  brighter  world. 

The  circumstances  and  conditions  of  his  life  were  singu- 
larly fortunate.  He  was  the  distinguished  son  of  a  dis- 
tinguished father.  His  boyhood's  home  was  full  of  the 
beneficences  of  scholarly  culture  and  Christian  grace  and 
sweetness.  We  do  not  wonder  that  such  a  man  came 
forth  from  such  a  home.     Later,  and  yet  in  early  life,  he 

32 


came  to  walk  in  closest  companionship  with  one  in  wliose 
mind  and  heart  his  nature  as  it  grew  in  breadth  and  rich- 
ness found  sure  and  perfect  response  and  appreciation,  one 
who,  while  she  leaned  upon  his  strength,  supported  him  in 
all  the  labors  of  the  years  by  the  inspirations  of  loving 
sympathy  and  tenderest  admiration.  From  boyhood  he  was 
permitted  to  live  the  life  of  a  student,  which  was  the  life 
he  loved.  As  soon  as  his  professional  studies  were  finished, 
inviting  careers  opened  before  his  feet.  I  have  been  per- 
mitted to  see  the  letter  which  he  wrote  thirty  years  ago 
when  called  upon  to  choose  between  the  career  of  a  pastor 
and  that  of  an  instructor  in  this  college.  He  gives  as  one 
of  the  reasons  for  the  choice  he  made :  "  The  department 
to  which  I  have  been  appointed  has  always  interested  me. 
Its  opportunities  for  research  and  culture  have  presented 
great  attractions."  He  loved  to  study,  and  he  loved  to 
teach.  He  lived  the  life  he  loved.  "  I  cannot  give  it  up," 
he  used  to  say  of  his  work  here,  when  in  later  life  he  was 
called  to  other  fields  and  spheres  of  labor.  All  these  felici- 
ties of  fortune  wrought  in  him  a  serene  summer  of  the 
soul,  whose  light  shone  for  others  and  for  all. 

He  was  simply  above  many  of  the  distresses  which  tor- 
ment less  noble  natures.  I  have  heard  my  mother  say  that 
when  a  child  she  was  taken  to  the  Catskills,  and  from  a 
mountain's  summit  saw  beneath  her  a  thunder  storm,  a  sum- 
mer shower.  Beneath  her  were  the  clouds  and  the  light- 
nings and  the  rain,  above  her  were  the  clear  sky  and  the  sun. 
I  have  thought  of  Dr.  Hopkins  as  one  who  had  reached  an 
altitude  of  faith  and  hope,  of  absorption  in  large  interests,  of 
incapacity  for  small  and  poor  ambitions,  where  he  was  safe 
from  distractions  and  annoyances  which  most  men  feel. 
His  was  a  noble  happiness.  It  was  the  happiness  of  a 
scholar.  He  took  delight  in  acquiring  and  imparting  learn- 
3  33 


ing  and  culture.  It  was  the  happiness  of  a  Christian.  He 
knew  "  the  peace  which  passeth  understanding,  which  the 
world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away."  To  him  was  ful- 
filled the  Master's  prophecy  and  promise :  "  These  words 
have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy  may  remain  in  you,  and 
that  your  joy  may  be  full." 

He  was  an  ideal  Christian.  His  faith  was  so  intelligent 
and  rational  that  it  was  itself  persuasive,  evidential.  It 
could  be  said  of  him  as  was  said  of  Phillips  Brooks :  "  His 
faith  was  proof  to  doubters.  We  can  walk  blindly  where 
he  walked  seeing,  till  we  see."  The  fact  that  such  men 
have  heartily  accepted  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  is  strong 
evidence  of  their  credibility  and  rationality.  Our  intel- 
lectual insight  may  be  less  keen,  our  sweep  of  spiritual 
vision  less  wide  than  theirs,  but  we  may  absolve  our  doubts 
by  the  authority  of  their  faith,  and  "  walk  blindly  where 
they  walked  seeing,  till  we  see." 

He  lived  the  faith  he  loved.  He  leaves  a  spotless  name. 
He  was -one 

"  Who  reverenced  his  conscience  as  his  king. 
He  spoke  no  slander ;  no,  nor  listened  to  it ;  " 
He  wore  c '  the  white  flower  of  a  blameless  life. 
Who  dares  foreshadow  for  an  only  son 
A  lovelier  life,  a  more  unstained  than  his?  " 

And  things  that  are  "  dear  to  God  were  dear  to  him :  " 
the  welfare  of  mankind,  the  ethical  interests  of  society,  the 
progress  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  world.  He  recognized 
the  fact  that,  as  the  Psalmist  says,  "  God's  commandment 
is  exceeding  broad."  He  believed  in  the  redemption  of  the 
world.  He  sought  to  subject  all  departments  and  all  de- 
tails of  human  life  to  the  divine  authority  of  Christ's  laws 
of  love  and  righteousness.     He  was  a  champion  of  right* 

U 


eousness.  He  was  so  gentle,  so  genial,  such  a  friend  of 
peace,  so  incapable  of  being  intoxicated  by  the  wine  of  war, 
that  it  is  hard  to  believe  what  is  still  unquestionable,  that 
when  thoroughly  aroused  in  defence  of  any  imperilled 
principle  of  justice  or  public  order,  he  was  a  most  fearless 
and  formidable  foe  of  the  foes  of  humanity.  He  was  in- 
domitable, unconquerable.  He  knew  no  such  word  as  sur- 
render or  retreat.  From  him  we  may  learn  the  heroism  of 
civic  duty.  He  was  a  Christian  citizen.  He  was  a  Chris- 
tian patriot.  He  put  his  conscience  into  his  vote  and  the 
voice  of  his  influence  among  men.  He  had  learned  that 
the  duty  which  he  owed  to  his  country  was  a  part  of  the 
duty  which  he  owed  to  God. 

It  is  impossible  to  measure  the  influence  of  such  a  char- 
acter and  life.  I  have  thought  that  there  was  something 
in  Dr.  Hopkins'  life  and  character  which  allied  them  to  the 
elemental  beneficences  of  nature,  to  the  green  earth,  to  the 
air  we  breathe,  to  the  sunshine  and  the  love  of  parents. 
These  are  blessings  for  which  we  forget  to  be  grateful. 
His  influence  was  so  quiet,  so  gentle.  Through  him  the 
"  kingdom  of  heaven  came  without  observation  "  into  so 
many  lives. 

There  are  dear  graves  upon  that  sweet  hillside.  The 
young  sleep  there  who  left  no  large  place  vacant,  except  in 
a  few  loving  hearts.  But  there  are  graves  there  about  whi ch 
men  gather,  and  will  gather  for  long  years  to  be,  with 
reverence  and  affection  too  deep  for  words.  Men  will 
come  hither  from  the  storm  and  stress  of  busy  life,  bent  by 
the  burden-bearing  and  weary  with  the  warfare  of  the 
world,  successful  men,  useful  men,  men  whose  names  are 
known  to  nations,  who  have  served  well  their  country  and 
their  time,  and  they  will  stand  about  this  grave  and  say  : 
"  There  lies  the  one  to  whom  I  owe  my  soul.     He  taught 

35 


me  what  it  is  to  be  a  scholar.  He  taught  me  what  it  is  to  be 
a  Christian.  He  taught  me  what  it  is  to  be  a  man."  In 
how  many  lives,  enriched,  ennobled  by  his  influence,  will 
he  live  on. 

Farewell,  dear  doctor,  kind  friend,  true  scholar,  devoted 
teacher,  courteous  gentleman,  stainless  Christian,  farewell. 
We  will  remember  and  we  will  follow,  until  in  the  cloud- 
less morning  of  God's  presence  we  see  thy  face  again. 


[From  the  Utica  Daily  Press  of  July  28,  1899.] 

By  the  death  of  Prof.  A.  G.  Hopkins,  Hamilton  College  loses 
one  of  its  best  instructors  and  the  village  of  Clinton  one  of  its 
most  respected  residents.  A  little  while  before  the  last  com- 
mencement he  was  stricken,  and  up  to  that  time  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  robust,  rugged  members  of  the  faculty.  In 
his  earlier  days  he  was  an  athlete,  and  he  retained  his  interest 
in  athletic  sports.  He  walked  more  often  than  he  rode  up  and 
down  the  hill  to  his  daily  recitations,  and  was  looked  upon  as  a 
person  in  the  best  of  health.  The  whole  community  was  not 
less  surprised  than  shocked  to  hear  of  his  sudden  and  serious 
illness.  The  attack  was  one  of  those  unaccountable  instances 
which  medical  skill  is  able  neither  to  foresee  nor  to  fathom. 
All  that  science  could  suggest  was  done  for  him,  but  it  was 
hoping  against  hope  almost  from  the  first.  For  some  weeks 
the  end  has  been  anticipated,  though  hundreds  fondly  hoped 
it  might  be  otherwise. 

Prof.  A.  G.  Hopkins  was  born  amid  scholastic  surroundings 
and  was  himself  a  scholar  of  no  ordinary  attainments.  His 
work  as  a  student  in  Hamilton  College  was  of  such  a  high 
order  that  he  took  second  place  in  his  class.  He  went  thence 
to  the  Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  where  he  was  graduated 
with  honor,  and  shortly  after  was  offered  the  professorship  of 
Latin  at  Hamilton  College.  He  accepted  and  in  the  fall  of 
1869  commenced  his  labors,  which  were  continued  till  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  very  careful,  conscientious,  and 
painstaking  instructor.  He  had  that  force  of  character  which 
commanded  attention.  The  rollicking  and  fun-loving  members 
of  more  than  one  class  tried  their  hand  at  what  in  college  par- 
lance is  called  "  shaking  up,"  but  none  ever  succeeded,  and 
many  regretted  the  undertaking.     His  relations  with  the  under- 

37 


graduates  were  always  pleasant  and  affable.  He  was  a  very 
approachable  man,  always  ready  to  give  a  courteous  hearing, 
and  as  prompt  with  an  answer  which,  when  given,  was  decisive. 
For  a  long  time  he  served  as  Dean  of  the  Faculty,  and  the  right 
man  to  take  his  place  it  will  be  very  hard  to  find.  His  asso- 
ciates among  the  instructors  held  him  in  high  esteem,  and 
deferred  to  his  opinions  as  to  government  and  discipline  in 
a  large  degree. 

The  class  of  '70  was  the  first  to  leave  the  college  after  his 
coming  as  an  instructor,  and  that  of  '99  the  last  to  leave. 
During  that  time  scores  upon  scores  of  young  men  have  been 
under  his  instruction,  have  gone  in  and  out  from  his  class 
room,  and  enjoyed  the  good  fortune  of  personal  acquaintance 
and  friendship  with  him.  His  influence  was  always  salutary 
and  his  voice  on  the  right  side.  He  found  time  not  only  for 
studious  research  along  the  lines  of  his  particular  depart- 
ment, but  also  for  sermonizing  and  for  the  preparation  of 
many  articles  for  publication  which  proved  permanent  and 
acceptable  contributions  to  current  literature.  He  frequently 
preached  in  the  college  chapel,  and  his  services  were  much  in 
demand  in  many  pulpits  and  on  numerous  special  occasions. 
Had  he  elected  to  follow  the  calling  of  a  clergyman,  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  he  would  have  been  eminently 
successful.  The  field  he  chose  was  equally  useful,  and  in  it 
he  made  a  record  of  which  his  family  and  friends  may  well  be 
proud.  To  a  good  many  of  the  alumni  when  they  return,  the 
old  college  will  not  seem  quite  the  same  without  Professor  Hop- 
kins. A  graceful  expression  of  the  confidence  felt  for  him  by 
the  Board  of  Trustees  was  that  embodied  in  the  degree  of  D.D. 
conferred  upon  him  at  the  last  commencement.  He  was  very 
ill  at  the  time,  and  it  may  be  that  he  died  without  realizing  how 
much  of  honest  regard  and  tender  affection  was  embodied  in 
tins  preferment.  Professor  Hopkins  was  in  every  sense  a  Chris- 
tian gentleman,  an  upright  citizen,  and  a  splendid  instructor. 
The  men  who  will  mourn  because  he  is  dead  are  scattered  all 

38 


over  this  country,  but  so  long  as  they  live  they  will  cherish  of 
him  none  but  the  kindest  recollections. 

Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins  was  born  at  Avon  Springs,  N.  Y., 
December  5,  1844.  He  was  a  son  of  Prof.  Samuel  Miles  Hop- 
kins, who  graduated  from  Auburn  Theological  Seminary  in  1837. 
His  mother  was  Mary  J.  H.  Heacock,  a  sister  of  Dr.  Grosve- 
nor W.  Heacock,  for  thirty-two  years  pastor  of  the  Lafayette 
Street  Presbyterian  Church  in  Buffalo.  She  died  at  Auburn, 
January  23,  1885.  In  1847  Professor  Hopkins'  father  was 
called  to  the  chair  of  Church  History  in  Auburn  Theological 
Seminary.  Here  Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins  was  surrounded  by 
daily  influences  most  favorable  to  intellectual  growth.  His 
preparation  for  college  was  completed  in  1862  at  Auburn  High 
School.  The  historic  and  festive  exercises  of  the  half-century 
celebration  gave  peculiar  interest  and  eclat  to  commencement 
week  at  Hamilton  College  in  1862,  and  Mr.  Hopkins  was 
there  with  all  the  warm  enthusiasm  of  a  new  student  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  his  coming  classmates  and  to  gather  life- 
long inspiration  for  a  scholarly  career.  Of  the  eleven  in  the 
faculty  at  that  time  but  two  are  now  in  the  college,  —  Professor 
North  and  Professor  Oren  Root.  Mr.  Hopkins  graduated  in 
1866  with  the  Latin  salutatory,  and  after  three  years  of  study 
at  Auburn  Theological  Seminary  entered  on  the  duties  of  stated 
supply  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Cortland.  While  con- 
sidering the  acceptance  of  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  this  church 
he  was  offered  a  Latin  professorship  in  Hamilton  College,  and 
in  September,  1869,  began  the  work  which  he  has  since  fol- 
lowed and  which  has  kept  him  in  genial  intimacy  with  the 
records  of  Latin  literature.  Twice  he  visited  Rome  as  a 
student  in  archaeology,  first  in  1874  and  again  in  1891,  during 
the  year  of  his  study  at  the  university  at  Leipzig. 

Opportunities  for  preaching  were  not  neglected  by  him.  He 
was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  April  16,  1874,  was  commis- 
sioner to  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of  New  York  in  1886  at  its 

39 


meeting  in  Elmira,  moderator  of  the  Presbytery  of  Utica  in  1887, 
and  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  at  Philadelphia 
in  1888.  In  1887  he  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  the  Trus- 
tees of  Lafayette  College.  Hamilton  gave  him  the  degree  of 
D.D.  in  June,  1899.  Dr.  Hopkins  was  appointed  Dean  of  the 
Faculty  of  Hamilton  College  by  the  Trustees  in  June,  1891. 
Professor  Hopkins  has  given  indications  of  some  favorite  lines 
of  research  in  his  contributions  to  our  periodical  literature.  His 
carefully  prepared  papers  on  "The  Reform  in  Pronouncing 
Latin"  and  "Tiberius  Resartus " were  published  in  the  Inter- 
national Review,  and  "  The  Histories  of  Early  Rome  since  Nie- 
buhr  "  and  ' '  The  Preservation  of  the  Latin  Texts  "  in  the  New 
Englander.  Of  a  more  popular  character  were  his  addresses  be- 
fore the  Oneida  Historical  Society  on  i '  The  Early  Protestant 
Missions  to  the  Iroquois,"  and  his  historical  address  at  the 
centennial  celebration  in  1887  of  the  settlement  of  the  town  of 
Kirkland.  He  also  wrote  a  biographical  sketch  of  Hon.  O.  S. 
Williams  in  1881,  a  sketch  in  memory  of  Theodore  W.  D wight, 
LL.D.,  in  1893,  and  a  book,  uThe  Agricola  and  Germania  of 
Tacitus,"  in  1894. 

Professor  Hopkins  has  endeared  himself  to  many  hearts  by 
his  touching,  thoughtful  sympathy  in  conducting  funeral  ser- 
vices. On  such  occasions  his  tender  response  to  the  silent 
appeal  of  a  life  released  from  mortal  fetters  might  suggest 
an  addition  to  Solon's  farewell  to  Croesus.  It  might  be  made 
to  read  that  no  man  should  be  pronounced  happy  until  his 
death  and  funeral  had  brought  fitting  memorials  to  an  upright 
life.  Professor  Hopkins  has  given  well  remembered  examples 
of  this  rare  gift  of  his  appropriate  blending  of  narrative,  anal- 
ysis, sympathy,  and  comforting  exhortation  in  his  funeral 
tributes  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Charles  Avery  and  Mrs.  Avery, 
Dr.  Oren  Root,  President  Samuel  G.  Brown,  Prof.  Norman  J. 
Wright,  Dr.  Benjamin  W.  Dwight,  and  his  son,  Dr.  Francis 
E.  Dwight.  ...  In  the  class  room,  as  an  instructor,  he  was 
very  industrious    and   diligent.      As    Professor  North    once 

40 


said,  "He  was  worth  two  ordinary  teachers."  Professor 
Hopkins  was  a  well  developed  and  all-around  man.  He 
was  fond  of  physical  exercise,  and  in  his  younger  days  was 
quite  an  athlete.  In  his  college  days  he  was  catcher  of  the 
college  base-ball  nine,  and  Sidney  A.  Sherman,  '67,  of  Batavia, 
avers  that  he  was  the  first  man  who  ever  threw  a  curved  ball. 
He  says  in  1864  Hopkins  could  throw  a  curve  as  wide  and  as 
true  as  the  best  players  did  thirty  years  later,  and  that  if  he 
had  followed  ball  playing  as  a  pitcher  he  would  have  been 
famous  among  the  ball  players  of  the  world. 

[From  the  Utica  Morning  Herald  of  July  28,  1899.] 

Rev.  Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Latin  in 
Hamilton  College,  died  at  his  home  in  Clinton  yesterday.  This 
announcement  will  carry  sadness  to  many  hearts,  for  Professor 
Hopkins'  friends  were  all  who  knew  him ;  and  those  who  knew 
and  loved  him  are  scattered  throughout  the  earth.  For  four  years 
he  was  a  student  in  Hamilton  College,  and  for  thirty  was  therein 
an  instructor.  The  college  mates,  classmates,  and  students 
with  whom  in  these  years  he  came  into  close  contact  learned 
to  know  him  as  one  of  nature's  noblemen.  He  was  a  genial 
companion,  a  cordial  co-worker,  a  manly  man.  He  was  a  de- 
voted husband  and  father.  He  was  true  as  steel  in  every  rela- 
tion and  walk  of  life.  He  was  helpful  to  the  student.  He  was 
constant  and  enthusiastic  in  his  duties,  to  the  college,  the 
church,  and  society.  His  was  a  healthful  mind,  buoyant, 
cheery,  wholesome.  Physically  Professor  Hopkins  seemed  as 
strong  as  mentally  he  was  known  to  be.  Hence  the  surprise, 
the  shock,  the  sorrow,  that  at  fifty-five  he  lives  only  in  the  fruits 
of  his  labor  and  the  affections  of  all  who  knew  him  in  life ! 

Not  only  the  college  that  he  loved  so  well  and  served  so  ably, 
but  the  broader  educational  field,  the  church,  and  the  commun- 
ity at  large  suffer  a  loss  in  the  death  of  Abel  G.  Hopkins  that 
will  be  deeply  felt  and  sincerely  mourned. 

41 


From  the  first  he  was  a  popular  pulpit  orator.  His  style  was 
forcible,  impressive,  and  convincing,  and  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years  he  had  been  in  almost  constant  demand  as  a  pulpit  sup- 
ply in  all  the  prominent  cities  and  villages  in  the  State,  not 
only  being  called  by  his  own  denomination,  but  very  frequently 
by  the  other  evangelical  denominations.  Dr.  Hopkins  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Sophie  Louisa,  the  youngest  daughter 
of  the  late  Judge  and  Mrs.  O.  S.  Williams,  on  July  25,  1872, 
and  has  since  resided  at  the  Williams  homestead,  West  Park 
Row,  in  this  village.  Besides  his  widow  and  one  daughter,  Dr. 
Hopkins  is  survived  by  his  aged  father,  one  sister,  Mrs.  Myron 
Adams  of  Rochester,  and  three  brothers:  Rev.  Stephen  G. 
Hopkins,  '63  Hamilton  College,  of  Auburn;  Hon.  Woolsey  R. 
Hopkins,  '71  Hamilton  College,  attorney  at  law,  Auburn;  and 
John  H.  Hopkins,  '72,  attorney  at  law,  Rochester.  Dr.  Hop- 
kins' death  just  in  the  prime  of  life  is  peculiarly  sad  in  many 
respects.  Up  to  the  day  that  disease  seized  upon  him,  he  was 
the  embodiment  to  all  outward  appearance  of  a  perfect  physi- 
cal development.  During  his  college  life  and  for  years  after- 
ward, he  was  an  athlete  who  had  few  superiors,  and  this  is  the 
first  year  that  he  has  not  had  some  position  in  the  commence- 
ment ball  game  between  the  visiting  alumni  and  the  college 
nine.  His  was  a  busy  life.  His  college  and  pulpit  work  left 
him  but  little  time  for  rest  and  recreation.  He  was  a  constant 
student  and  a  great  reader.  His  ambition  was  to  keep  his  de- 
partment of  instruction  abreast  with  the  day  and  times.  In 
this  he  succeeded,  and  his  class  room  at  the  college  was  one 
toward  which  every  student  went  with  willing  step.  Busy  as 
Dr.  Hopkins  was,  he  still  found  time  to  take  an  active  interest 
in  all  the  great  moral  questions  of  the  day.  He  was  partic- 
ularly  active  in  every  movement  to  restrict  and  keep  within  the 
bounds  of  the  law  the  liquor  traffic  in  town.  He  was  naturally 
a  democrat  in  politics,  but  was  independent  enough  to  vote  and 
work  for  the  best  man,  regardless  of  his  political  affiliation. 
-  .  .  The  death  of  Dr.  Hopkins  is  a  public  calamity.     He  was 

42 


widely  known  as  one  of  the  college  faculty  upon  whom  all  leaned, 
and  as  a  pulpit  orator  of  great  ability.  He  was  a  useful  man 
in  all  the  walks  of  life. 

[From  the  Rome  Daily  Sentinel  of  July  28,  1899.] 
By  the  death  of  Professor  Abel  G.  Hopkins,  Hamilton  College 
suffers  a  loss  which  cannot  be  readily  described.  Professor 
Hopkins  was  all  of  several  things  that  go  to  make  a  man.  He 
was  a  well  rounded  scholar,  a  thorough  gentleman,  a  man  of 
force  and  character ;  he  possessed  a  rare  physical  development, 
enjoyed  sports,  and  was  the  most  companionable  of  companions. 
Reared  in  an  intellectual  atmosphere  and  under  intellectual  in- 
fluences, his  scholarship  was  but  the  broadening  of  an  innate 
characteristic.  Strict  thoroughness  marked  all  he  did.  He 
always  knew  where  he  stood,  and  why.  He  commanded  uni- 
versal respect  and  esteem ;  not  one  of  the  hundreds  of  college 
students  who  studied  under  his  direction  ever  the  second  time 
thought  it  worth  while  questioning  his  authority.  He  possessed 
the  faculty  of  governing  by  mere  force  of  personality,  without 
outside  assistance.  Every  student  liked  him,  honored  him,  and 
counted  it  a  pleasure  to  work  in  his  department.  By  the  Faculty 
and  the  Trustees  of  the  college  he  was  held  in  equally  high  regard. 
All  respected  his  ability  and  all  knew  his  remarkable  capacity 
for  that  sort  of  work  which  brings  results.  His  habits  of  care- 
ful, conscientious,  painstaking  industry  made  him  an  authority, 
and  what  he  said  or  did  was  looked  upon  as  deeply  based  upon 
logic  and  reason.  He  was  an  adviser  whose  counsel  was  sought 
because  of  its  recognized  value,  an  instructor  whose  work  was 
described  as  equal  to  that  of  two  men,  a  friend  whose  sincerity 
never  could  come  under  a  cloud  of  suspicion.  Withal  he  was 
modest,  becomingly  so. 

Aside  from  his  college  work  Professor  Hopkins  found  time 
for  literary  work.  His  writings  on  classical  and  religious  sub- 
jects were  real  additions  to  modern  literature.  His  sermons 
were  scholarly,  pointed,  and  convincing.     Many  a  pulpit  has 

43 


been  pleased  to  have  him  again  and  again  as  its  occupant. 
The  death  of  such  a  man,  coming  at  a  time  of  life  when  all  his 
experience  and  acquirements  of  past  years  were  at  their  best 
and  his  usefulness  was  at  its  greatest,  is  a  loss  which  Hamilton 
College  will  feel  keenly.  Every  friend  of  the  institution  will 
mourn  for  her  and  also  with  her,  for  they  all  were  friends  and 
admirers  of  Professor  Hopkins. 

.     [From  the  Clinton  Courier  of  August  2, 1899.] 

Clinton  and  this  entire  community,  together  with  the  college 
world  and  the  Christian  church,  mourns  the  death  of  a  good 
man.  Rev.  Prof.  A.  G.  Hopkins  finished  his  earthly  career 
about  three  o'clock  on  Thursday  afternoon  last,  July  27,  1899. 
He  died  at  the  beautiful  home  of  Mrs.  O.  S.  Williams,  where 
he  had  resided  since  his  marriage  to  Mrs.  Williams'  youngest 
daughter  in  1872.  Death  came  upon  him  gradually  and  almost 
painlessly.  About  two  months  ago  he  was  stricken  with  a  form 
of  paralysis  which  was  thought  to  be  writer's  cramp,  but  which 
soon  developed  into  a  more  general  form  of  paralysis,  affecting 
the  brain  and  nerve  centres,  and  which  was  beyond  medical  re- 
lief, although  the  most  eminent  specialists  were  called  in  con- 
sultation. He  failed  slowly  but  steadily,  in  spite  of  all  that 
could  be  done  by  devoted  friends  and  faithful  physicians.  For 
some  time  toward  the  closing  days  he  was  apparently  but  slightly 
conscious  of  his  surroundings,  and  the  end  came  as  a  restful 
falling  asleep. 

The  deep  sorrow  of  a  devoted  wife  and  daughter,  an  aged 
father,  brothers,  and  family  friends,  is  shared  in  a  sense  by  the 
entire  community,  and  by  countless  friends  and  admirers  of 
Dr.  Hopkins  scattered  all  over  the  country.  Hamilton  College 
has  lost  an  able  instructor  and  a  wise  counsellor,  whose  place  it 
will  be  hard  to  fill.  The  pulpit  has  lost  an  exceptionally  ear- 
nest and  convincing  preacher  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  as  in- 
terpreted by  one  who  had  received  the  reward  of  the  pure  in 
heart.     The  village  of  his  home  has  lost  a  faithful  exemplar  of 

44 


Christian  citizenship,  and  a  man  whom  all  classes  and  condi- 
tions of  men  could  admire  and  be  glad  to  count  as  a  friend. 
He  had  a  genial  smile  and  a  warm  and  sympathetic  greeting 
for  all  whom  he  met.  In  his  home  life  he  was  especially  gra- 
cious, and  those  who  met  him  there  were  impressed  by  his 
kindly  courtesy  and  consideration  for  those  about  him.  He 
was  an  ideal  husband  and  father,  the  memory  of  whose  tender 
love  and  care  will  be  fondly  cherished. 

As  a  citizen  Professor  Hopkins  was  interested  and  active  in 
all  that  concerned  the  good  order  and  well-being  of  the  com- 
munity. This  was  abundantly  demonstrated  some  years  ago 
when,  as  president  of  the  Law  and  Order  League  of  the  town, 
he  labored  earnestly  with  other  good  citizens  to  compel  the  ob- 
servance of  the  excise  law,  and  especially  when,  in  the  betrayal 
of  trusted  advisers,  the  League  was  prevented  from  reaping  the 
full  benefit  of  its  successful  crusade,  and  its  members  were  com- 
pelled to  face  litigation  for  an  unconscionable  sum  for  legal 
services,  and  there  was  a  general  disposition  manifested  to  dis- 
claim connection  with  the  movement  or  to  compromise  with 
wrong,  the  firm  stand  taken  by  President  Hopkins  and  a  few 
men  of  similar  courage  and  wisdom  succeeded  in  defeating  the 
unscrupulous  scheme,  and  securing  from  the  Court  of  Appeals  a 
unanimous  decision  in  support  of  the  League,  and  establishing 
a  valuable  precedent  for  the  guidance  and  protection  of  all  sim- 
ilar organizations  for  promoting  the  public  good.  The  voice 
and  vote  of  Dr.  Hopkins  could  always  be  counted  in  favor  of 
temperance  and  good  citizenship,  and  his  assistance  was  never 
asked  in  vain  for  any  worthy  cause  of  morality  or  of  charity. 


Professor  Hopkins  had  a  summer  cottage  on  the  St.  Law- 
rence, near  Alexandria  Bay,  and  here  he  was  accustomed  to 
spend  his  summer  vacations  with  his  family  and  their  friends. 
Here  he  became  acquainted  with  many  of  the  regular  summer 
sojourners  on  the  river.     All  who  met  him  were  charmed  with 

45 


his  character  and  personality.  Writing  from  his  summer  home, 
"  Nobby  Island,"  H.  R.  Heath,  of  Brooklyn,  says  of  Professor 
Hopkins :  "  He  was  *  one  of  God's  noblemen.'  He  visited  us 
in  1882,  here  at  Nobby  Island,  and  got  the  island  inspiration. 
Next  year  he  bought  and  built  a  pretty  summer  home.  He  and 
his  family  have  since  been  the  centre  of  Christian  and  literary 
hospitality,  loved  by  all,  rich  and  poor  alike ;  and  when  the 
news  came  of  his  death  there  were  many  tears  that  could  not 
be  repressed.  We  all  mourn  his  loss.  To  us  the  islands  will 
never  seem  the  same,  for  Professor  Hopkins  and  Dr.  J.  Gr.  Hol- 
land did  more  to  give  this  resort  a  good  reputation  and  make  it 
known,  by  the  articles  they  wrote  and  allowed  to  be  printed, 
than  all  other  persons  who  have  come  here  during  the  twenty- 
nine  years  that  I  have  spent  my  summers  here." 

THE   MEMORY    OF   DR.   HOPKINS. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Courier: 

Dear  Sir,  —  Whether  or  not  it  was  expected  that  the  village 
folk  should  attend  the  services  in  the  College  Chapel  for  Pro- 
fessor Hopkins,  they  surely  with  one  heart  and  one  voice  would 
have  offered  by  their  sympathetic  presence  their  own  tribute, 
which  the  hour  of  the  service  yesterday  utterly  prohibited.  We 
all  knew  him  to  be  almost  the  one  man  among  us  who  maintained 
a  moral  equipoise,  so  that,  distinguished  as  he  was  in  his  own  high 
vocation,  he  still  kept  his  place  gladly  among  his  neighbors,  who 
could  not  tread  those  uplands  of  knowledge  so  familiar  to  him. 
We  knew  him  to  be  a  scholar,  but  we  knew  better  that  he  was 
also  a  citizen;  and  that  his  devotion  to  the  common  weal  did 
not  take  a  merely  spectacular  and  rhetorical  form.  We  shall 
never  forget  how  he  looked  a  few  years  ago,  when  one  election 
day  he  stood  all  day  long  on  the  sidewalk  before  the  polling- 
place,  distributing  ballots  to  voters,  in  the  interest  of  public 
morality.  He  was  just  as  courageous  and  laborious  in  a  good 
cause  upon  town-meeting  or  charter-election  day  as  he  was  to 
defend  the  worth  of  poor  young  men  in  a  small  college  like 

46 


Hamilton  against  the  assumptions  and  arrogance  of  Harvard's 
president. 

Let  me,  therefore,  for  the  community  of  which  I  am  a  mem- 
ber, make  this  grateful  offering  to  his  memory.  He  needs  not 
eulogy ;  that  is  already  imperishably  written  upon  the  hearts  of 
those  who  lived  nearest  to  him. 

Oliver  Owen. 
St.  James  Rectory,  Clinton, 
Oct.  11,  1899. 

[From  the  Neiv  York  Evangelist  of  Aug.  17,  1899,  by  Rev.  Charles  W. 

E.  Chapin.] 

Prof.  A.  G.  Hopkins,  for  thirty  years  Professor  of  Latin  Lan- 
guage and  Literature  in  Hamilton  College,  died  at  his  home  in 
Clinton,  N.  Y.,  Thursday,  July  27.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  his  late  home  the  following  Monday,  and  he  was  buried 
in  the  College  Cemetery  on  College  Hill.  It  is  very  difficult  for 
Hamilton's  sons  of  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  to  realize  this 
announcement  as  true,  for  Professor  Hopkins  had  such  abun- 
dance of  life ;  he  has  always  seemed  the  type  of  perfect 
manhood,  physical,  intellectual,  and  spiritual.  An  estimate  of 
his  character  must  reach  this  conclusion  :  "  The  length  and  the 
breadth  and  the  height  of  it  are  equal." 

To  friends  and  students  widely  scattered  come  reminiscences 
of  particular  traits  and  distinct  elements  in  his  character,  show- 
ing how  symmetrical  and  complete  his  life  was.  One  thinks  of 
the  robust,  vigorous  figure,  the  responsive,  alert  eye,  the  vibrant, 
confident  voice,  the  quick,  strong  step,  recalling  the  college 
athlete  back  in  the  sixties  who  made  triumphs  in  the  field  and 
on  the  ball  ground.  Others  have  class-room  memories,  and 
think  of  the  pages  of  JDe  Senectute  and  De  Amicitia,  made 
luminous  under  his  exposition  ;  of  Horace  and  their  first  revela- 
tion of  the  beauty  of  Latin  poetry ;  by  such  the  professor's  life 
will  be  told.  Some  have  listened  to  Professor  Hopkins'  pulpit 
ministrations  and  remember  the  earnest  messages  backed  by  ail 
the  power  of  that  true  life  which  gave  them  utterance.     Others 

47 


think  of  him  in  social  relations,  the  courtliness  of  manner,  the 
gracious  thoughtfulness  of  others,  the  rare  conversational 
powers  which  were  his. 

This  life  so  gifted  had  that  power  of  reserve  which  is  found 
in  lives  of  balance  and  symmetry.  His  associates  and  colleagues 
who  shared  his  hopes  and  aims  and  work,  bear  testimony  to 
that  calm  judicial  mind  and  spirit  which  with  keen  insight 
reached  conclusions  fair  and  just  and  counselled  wisely  and  well. 
It  was  no  little  tribute  that  the  traditional  epithet,  "  The  manly 
Hops,"  never  became  obsolete  on  College  Hill.  Many  a  young 
man  has  received  inspiration  for  time  and  eternity  from  him, 
and  many  a  one  has  been  pointed  by  his  life  to  the  fountain  of 
strength  "  in  quietness  and  in  confidence."  His  life  cannot  be 
measured  by  the  years  he  lived.  The  words  which  he  applied 
some  years  ago  to  another  are  true  of  himself :  ' c  He  being  made 
perfect  in  a  short  time,  fulfilled  a  long  time,  for  his  soul  pleased 
God."  .  .  . 

[From  the  New  York  Evangelist  of  Sept.  14,  1899. 
From  an  article  by  Rev.  R.  S.  Holmes,  D.D.] 

The  Evangelist  has  followed  us,  and  we  learn  that  Dr.  Abel 
Grosvenor  Hopkins  is  no  longer  one  of  us.  We  read  the  tribute 
his  friend  paid  him.  It  was  just.  You  must  tramp,  and  row, 
and  sail,  and  sing,  and  play  with  a  man  to  know  him.  We 
have  done  all  these  with  Prof.  A.  G.  Hopkins.  In  the  summer 
that  he  was  elected  Professor  at  Hamilton,  five  of  us,  and  he 
one,  tramped  from  Auburn  to  the  Thousand  Islands.  It  was 
on  that  tramp  he  received  the  news  of  his  election.  A  hard- 
looking,  dust-stained  party,  we  drew  up  one  Saturday  night 
before  the  Hubbard  House  in  Clayton,  and  sent  him  in  to  ask 
reception.  The  landlord  had  seen  us  all ;  but  he  did  not  hesi- 
tate. Grove's  face  won.  The  Hubbard  House  took  us  in. 
After  access  to  our  pre-forwarded  baggage,  after  restoration  to 
civilized  form,  we  asked  Host  Hubbard  how  he  came  to  receive 
such  a  party  among  his  summer  guests.      His  answer  was  a 

43 


great  tribute  to  our  departed  friend.  Said  he,  "  Do  you  think 
I  do  not  know  a  gentleman  when  I  see  one?  "  That  was  just 
also.  Grosvenor  Hopkins  was  a  Christian  gentleman  always. 
We  can  say  nothing  greater.  This  to  his  memory,  from  one 
who  loved  to  call  him  friend ;  and  so  farewell. 

[From  the  Utica  Daily  Press  of  Sept  21,  1899.] 
HAMILTON   COLLEGE   REOPENS. 

After  the  brief  devotional  exercises  Dr.  Stryker  said:  "  The 
announcements  are  so  many  and  must  necessarily  consume  so 
much  time  that  it  is  not  my  purpose  further  to  burden  you. 
But  there  is  just  a  word  which  I  feel  I  must  say  before  we 
separate  to  our  various  duties.  Since  last  we  assembled  in 
this  room  one  whom  many  of  you  knew,  and  knowing  loved, 
has  gone  from  our  midst  and  his  place  here  shall  know  him 
no  more.  Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins  entered  upon  his  work  in 
Hamilton  College  in  the  fall  of  1869.  It  never  fell  to  my  lot  to 
be  in  his  classes.  I  was  a  junior  when  he  came.  But  through- 
out these  thirty  years  I  have  known  him  and  looked  up  to  him 
with  the  utmost  respect  and  affection.  It  was  my  privilege  to 
speak  at  his  funeral  services,  and  when  we  had  laid  him  away 
in  his  final  resting-place  on  that  bright  hillside  not  three  hun- 
dred feet  from  those  doors,  I  felt  that  we  had  lost  a  great  part 
of  our  strength.  He  was  such  a  virile  man,  so  strong  in  charac- 
ter and  yet  so  gentle  and  so  lovable.  He  might  truly  be  called 
a  perpendicular  man,  a  duty  man.  He  won  all  our  hearts  by 
his  devoutness.  His  thirty  years  of  service  in  this  college  are 
a  record  of  conscientious  striving.  His  work  was  well  done 
and  will  stand. " 

Dr.  Stryker's  voice  betrayed  his  deep  feeling  in  the  few  words 
he  spoke  concerning  Dr.  Hopkins,  and  the  hush  throughout  the 
room  gave  evidence  that  the  student  body  feels  keenly  its  great 
loss. 

The  October  issue  of  the  Hamilton  Literary  Magazine, 
was  a  Memorial  number.     The  addresses  of  Dr.  Stryker 
4  49 


and  Dr.  Terrett  were  printed  in  full,  together  with  several 
Press  notices.     The  editors  write  as  follows  :  — 

As  we  who  have  been  here  one,  two,  or  three  years  take  our 
seats  in  chapel  each  morning,  something  seems  to  be  wrong. 
We  miss  a  familiar  figure,  a  strong,  kindly  face,  rarely  absent 
from  those  morning  gatherings.  No  one  can  ever  usurp  the 
place  of  Dr.  Hopkins  in  the  memories  and  affections  of  those 
who  knew  him.  We  cannot  become  reconciled  to  the  change. 
It  does  not  seem  right.  This  hath  God  wrought,  and  to  Him 
he  loved  so  well  we  must  leave  the  mystery. 

[From  the  Hamilton  Review  of  Nov.  1899.] 

Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins,  Professor  of  Latin  in  Hamilton 
College,  a  manly  man,  a  beloved  teacher,  an  unflinching  Chris- 
tian, passed  away,  July  27,  after  a  lingering  illness.  Few, 
indeed,  of  the  men  who  knew  him  thought,  as  they  separated 
last  June,  that  College  Hill  would  know  him  no  more,  and  to 
every  student  of  old  Hamilton  the  news  of  his  demise  was  a 
personal  affliction.  He  was  a  man  in  whom  nature  had  harmo- 
nized her  choicest  attributes  ;  a  sturdy  figure,  rugged  and  sound, 
a  buoyant  disposition,  scorning  pessimism  and  melancholy,  a 
world  of  sunshine  and  love  was  in  his  face  and  his  geuial  smile 
was  a  feature  of  the  curriculum.  A  Christian,  not  in  profes- 
sion or  confession  merely,  but  in  every  path  of  life,  he  was  a 
follower  of  the  precepts  of  Jesus  Christ  as  far  as  frail  humanity 
can  be,  and  every  man  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  uncon- 
sciously set  him  up  as  an  example  of  godliness  and  sterling 
manhood.  Scholarship  and  sympathy  are  ofttimes  incongruous. 
Too  frequently  the  intellect  is  cultivated  at  the  expense  of  the 
heart,  and  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  precludes  that  warming 
cordiality  and  friendship  so  precious  in  the  scholar. 

Dr.  Hopkins  was  a  remarkable  instance  of  intelligence  and 
sympathy  united  in  one  man.  His  personality  was  the  life  of 
the  recitation,  and  so  imbued  was  he  with  enthusiasm  for  his 

50 


subject  that  he  truly  seemed  an  old  Roman  interpreting  Latin 
life  and  literature.  He  was  every  man's  friend,  one  to  whom  a 
student  could  confide  his  doubts  and  troubles,  sure  of  an  almost 
motherly  solicitude  and  comfort.  Kind,  patient,  helpful,  ear- 
nest, he  lived  a  life  which  can  stand  a  model,  inspiring  the 
student  with  emulation,  admiration,   and  esteem. 

Stricken  down  in  the  vigor  of  robust  manhood,  when  life 
seemed  happiest  and  best,  with  past  secure  and  future  golden 
with  promise,  he  endured  with  Christian  fortitude  his  wearisome 
illness,  and  died  a  man  who,  all  felt,  had  lived  the  life  his 
Master  approved.  Old  Hamilton  loses  a  loyal  son  and  a  revered 
professor  whose  place  it  will  be  impossible  to  fill,  but  the  numer- 
ous alumni  who  came  in  touch  with  him  will  remember  dear  old 
u  Hops,"  whose  life  was  in  his  face  and  whose  smile  made  col- 
lege trials  easier  and  existence  happier.  To-day  he  sleeps  upon 
the  hillside  he  loved  so  well,  in  the  arms  of  Alma  Mater,  whom 
he  so  zealously  served;  another  member  of  the  noble  little  com- 
pany who  have  fought  the  good  fight  and  rest  'neath  the  shadows 
of  the  college  walls. 

[From  the  Hamilton  Life,  Oct.  7,  1899.] 
No  news  could  more  have  shocked  and  saddened  the  students 
of  Hamilton  College,  the  faculty,  the  alumni,  the  innumerable 
friends  who  admired  and  adored  him  than  the  announcement  of 
the  death  of  our  beloved  Professor  of  Latin,  Dr.  Grosvenor  A. 
Hopkins. 

We  had  left  him  with  every  confidence  in  his  ultimate  re- 
covery, with  heartfelt  prayers  for  the  return  of  his  health  and 
strength,  fondly  cherishing  the  hope  to  meet  him  again.  But 
fate  decreed  otherwise,  and  almost  in  the  prime  of  his  years,  in 
the  waxing  vigor  of  his  powers,  in  the  blessedness  of  a  strong 
body  and  a  healthy  mind,  he  was  snatched  away. 

Dr.  Hopkins  was  the  Arnold  of  Hamilton  College.  He  was 
a  fond  admirer  and  devotee  of  athletic  sports,  and  in  his  early 
clays  had  attained  renown,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  a  splen- 

51 


did  and  powerful  physique  by  his  devotion  to  this  sphere  of 
legitimate  college  work. 

He  was  a  scholar,  a  lover  of  learning  to  the  tips  of  his  fingers. 
He  was  saturated  with  culture.  No  teacher  ever  inspired  in  his 
pupils  greater  enthusiasm  in  the  love  and  pursuit  of  knowledge. 
His  culture,  far  from  making  him  cold  and  distant,  only  ren- 
dered him  the  more  approachable,  the  more  benign,  the  more 
winning.  His  large  and  expansive  sympathies  were  the  expres- 
sion of  a  sweet  and  loving  soul,  responsive  to  every  touch  of 
suffering  and  distress.  He  was  never  brusque,  icy,  ill-tempered, 
or  impatient.  Age  had  given  him  that  stability  of  character 
and  learning,  that  moderation  of  judgment,  which  reminded  one 
strongly  of  those  ancient  Romans  whose  characters  he  greatly 
admired,  and  whose  virtues  he  possessed  without  any  of  their 
sternness.  The  man  so  overshadowed  the  scholar  that  it  is  as 
the  former  that  he  will  live  longest  in  the  affections  of  student 
and  friend.  To  know  him  was  to  love  him,  and  to  love  him 
was  better  than  a  course  in  ethics.  His  influence  was  strongest 
where  character  is  most  often  weakest,  on  the  moral  side.  With 
the  strength  and  virility  of  a  man  he  combined  the  simplicity 
and  frankness  of  a  child,  and  the  gentleness,  the  sweetness, 
the  sympathy  of  a  woman.  He  was  always  happy,  open,  opti- 
mistic; always  tolerant,  indulgent,  liberal,  large-viewed,  with 
a  mind  never  warped  by  prejudice,  and  a  heart  never  seared  by 
bitterness  or  narrowness.  He  taught  men  tolerance  by  his  own 
example,  and  the  impression  of  his  personality  was  greater  than 
the  expression  of  his  principles.  No  man  was  ever  more  de- 
votedly beloved  ;  no  teacher  more  firmly  and  thoroughly  engaged 
the  affections  of  his  pupils,  or  has  left  a  larger  and  more  lasting 
impression  upon  their  characters  and  ambitions. 

Future  students  of  Hamilton  will  not  know  what  potentialities 
of  college  life  they  have  lost  in  missing  the  influence  of  his 
splendid  personality,  the  sweetness  of  his  smile,  the  charm  of 
his  manners,  the  kindness,  benignancy,  and  beauty  of  his  char- 
acter, the  sympathy,  the  culture,  the  purity  that  lived  in  every 

52 


word  and  look,  and  radiated  from  every  inch  of  his  being.  They 
are  graved  deep  in  the  hearts,  and  speak  loud  in  the  lives  of 
those  whom  during  thirty  years  he  knew  and  taught.  The 
Hamilton  undergraduate  of  to-clay  will  rise  to  manhood  with 
the  ideal  of  his  stainless  life  ever  present  to  his  eye,  and  with 
the  ambition  to  become  as  great  and  good  as  our  departed  friend. 
Fortunate  indeed  the  man  who,  emulating  his  virtues,  shall 
attain  to  his  greatness,  his  nobility  of  character,  his  lofty, 
patriotic  citizenship,  his  heroic,  matchless  life. 


53 


ACTION  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  of  Hamilton  College,  in  session  at 
Utica,  November  21,  1899,  appointed  Hon.  Charles  A. 
Hawley,  LL.D.,  to  prepare  a  Memorial  of  the  late  Pro- 
fessor A.  G.  Hopkins,  to  be  entered  upon  the  Records  of 
the  Board.  Mr.  Hawley  subsequently  presented  the  fol- 
lowing, which  was  adopted :  — 

Since  the  last  meeting  of  this  board,  Professor  Abel  G-rosve- 
nor  Hopkins,  D.D.,  having  but  lately  received  the  deserved 
honors  of  the  college,  has  been  taken  from  us  by  death ;  and 
we  place  upon  our  Records  our  deep  sense  of  the  great  loss  the 
college  has  sustained,  and  our  high  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  his  long-continued  devotion  and  service.  For  a  period  of 
thirty  years  he  has  given  himself,  his  time,  his  strength,  his 
culture,  his  learning,  his  life,  to  the  diligent  and  conscientious 
discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  Professorship,  the  Bates  and 
Benjamin  Chair  of  Latin.  To  be  a  successful  College  Pro- 
fessor and  Instructor,  to  so  conduct  himself  in  his  daily 
intercourse  with  the  student  body  as  to  win  their  respect  and 
confidence,  and  even  their  affection,  and  to  retain  such  con- 
fidence and  affection  in  the  administration  of  discipline  in- 
separable from  the  position  of  Dean  of  the  College,  require  a 
combination  of  rare  qualities  of  both  mind  and  heart.  Dr. 
Hopkins  met  this  requirement  in  a  remarkable  degree.  As  his 
associate  in  the  Faculty,  Dr.  W.  R.  Terrett,  in  his  Memorial 
Address  of  October  10,  so  happily  said,  "His  was  a  finely 
balanced  character,  without  eccentricities  or  exaggerations. 
All  who  knew  him  were  impressed  by  its  marked  symmetry, 
its  singular  harmony  of  parts,  its  fine  equilibrium  of  powers." 
As  a  scholar,  as  a  teacher,  as  a  preacher,  as  a  Christian,  as 

54 


a  man,  he  was  pre-eminent.  He  wore  "  the  white  flower  of  a 
blameless  life." 

There  is  a  great  vacancy  in  the  teaching  force  of  Hamilton 
College,  which  it  will  be  no  easy  task  to  fill.  With  his  afflicted 
family  we  deeply  mourn  his  departure.  To  them  we  extend 
our  warmest  sympathies.  "  The  memory  of  the  just,"  the  pure, 
the  good,  the  noble,  "  is  blessed."  That  legacy  is  theirs  and 
ours,  and  we  will  not  cease  to  cherish  it  with  gratitude  to 
Him  who  has  called  His  servant  to  a  richer  reward  and 
nobler  service  in  heaven. 

ACTION   OF  THE  FACULTY. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Faculty  of  Hamilton  College  held 
October  26th,  1899,  the  following  tribute  to  Dr.  Hopkins 
was  adopted  and  voted  spread  upon  the  Faculty  Records : 
Abel  Grosvenor  Hopkins,  in  his  fifty-fifth  year,  passed  to  his 
rest  on  Thursday,  July  27th,  1899.  For  about  two  months  a 
steadily  advancing  paralysis,  which  medical  skill  and  the  ten- 
derest  household  care  could  not  delay,  had  foreshadowed  the 
end.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  last  day  of  July  his  form  was 
laid  in  the  College  Cemetery. 

Exactly  thirty  years  of  service  in  the  chair  of  Latin  had 
endeared  this  steadfast,  painstaking,  and  true-hearted  teacher 
to  all  the  younger  generation  of  our  graduates,  and  by  them 
all  this  loss  will  be  felt  as  personal  and  peculiar.  A  man  so 
sturdy,  so  guileless,  so  kindly,  so  diligent,  so  competent,  abso- 
lutely so  faithful  to  every  charge,  and  so  ready  to  every  duty  — 
when  shall  we  look  upon  his  like  again?  The  Christian  pulpit 
has  lost  a  manly  witness,  the  Church  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  community  a  fearlessly  upright  citizen,  the  Faculty 
a  genial  comrade  and  tireless  bearer  of  burdens,  the  Students 
an  example  of  just  and  gentle  manhood,  the  Chair  an  exact 
and  broad-minded  scholar,  the  Class  room  a  patient  and  careful 
instructor,  —  all  of  us  have  lost  a  friend.     He  was  the  pride 

55 


and  ornament  of  the  class  of  '66,  and  was  its  Salutatorian.  He 
graduated  from  Auburn  Seminary  in  1869.  From  Lafayette 
College  he  received  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  in  1887,  and  (tho' 
never  known  to  him)  from  Hamilton  the  Doctorate  of  Divinity 
in  1899. 

The  College  is  immutably  rich  in  the  memories  of  the  strong, 
tender,  and  noble  life,  identified  with  all  her  hopes  and  toils  for 
now  nigh  to  forty  years.  His  dust  lies  toward  the  sunrise  and 
his  soul  is  with  Him  with  whom  always  he  walked,  "  adorning 
the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all  things. " 

ACTION  OF  THE  PEESBYTERY  OF  UTICA. 

[Minute  adopted  September  26,  1899.] 

Whereas  Rev.  A.  Grosvenor  Hopkins,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  a  mem- 
ber of  this  presbytery  since  1871,  and  for  more  than  twenty- 
five  years  Professor  of  Latin  in  Hamilton  College,  died  at  his 
home  in  Clinton  in  his  55th  year,  on  July  27th,  1899  ;  and 

Whereas  he  was  a  man  of  rare  Christian  character,  of  ripe 
scholarship,  and  was  a  most  successful  teacher,  and  a  strong, 
faithful  preacher  of  the  gospel  of  Christ; 

Resolved,  That  we  hereby  express  and  put  on  record  our 
appreciation  of  his  character  and  life  work,  which  have  availed 
for  the  advancement  of  many  churches,  and  for  the  benefit  of  a 
multitude  of  young  men ;  and 

Resolved,  That  we  extend  to  the  family  our  sympathy  with 
them  in  their  sudden  and  very  great  bereavement,  and  that  we 
commend  them  to  the  God  of  all  consolation  who  will  prove  to 
them  his  love  and  faithfulness. 


iFrom  professor  lEtrtoartr  ttfortf),  ILlL.m., 
of  Hamilton  GtoUtQt. 

To  have  been  associated  for  thirty  years  as  a  fellow-teacher 
with  Dr.  Abel  G.  Hopkins   means   more  than  can  be   fully 

56 


expressed  in  mere  words.  To  lose  such  a  genial  comrade  in 
study  and  official  action,  such  a  ready  companion  in  all 
generous  endeavor,  such  an  uncomplaining  bearer  of  heavy 
burdens,  such  a  rare  example  of  what  is  best  in  Christian 
character,  is  to  feel  that  life  has  lost  much  of  its  every-day 
inspiration,  save  as  that  may  survive  in  cherished  memories. 
To  call  a  man  two-sided  is  sometimes  a  dispraise.  To  say 
that  one  is  many-sided  may  be  the  highest  eulogy.  This  would 
be  true  in  the  case  of  Professor  Hopkins.  Meet  him  on  his 
morning  walk  to  the  college  chapel,  and  he  was  a  merry  com- 
panion, with  his  bright  jest  and  gay  laugh.  In  the  chapel  he 
was  a  reverent  worshipper,  with  a  voice  sweet  in  song  and 
earnest  in  prayer.  Meet  him  in  the  class  room,  and  his  stu- 
dents basked  with  him  in  the  sunshine  of  Roman  life  and 
literature.  Meet  him  in  society,  and  all  hearts  were  gladdened 
by  his  cheery  converse.  Hear  him  in  the  pulpit,  and  it  is  as 
if  listening  to  another  Thomas  Arnold.  Meet  him  in  the 
council  of  reform,  and  the  boldest  enemy  of  good  order  quails 
before  his  righteous  wrath.  Meet  him  on  his  vacation  outing, 
and  a  stranger  would  say  that  his  life  must  have  been  devoted 
to  fishing  and  yachting.  Meet  him  in  his  quiet  home,  and  all 
the  amenities  of  refined  and  gracious  hospitality  are  yours  to 
enjoy.  To  say  that  such  a  man  is  many-sided  is  to  make  the 
adjective  expressive  of  what  is  best  in  character  and  achieve- 
ment; it  is  to  deepen  our  sorrow  at  what  seems  to  mortal 
vision  an  untimely  death,  and  to  quicken  our  sympathy  with 
the  devoted  memory  that  makes  its  daily  pilgrimage  to  his 
peaceful  grave  in  the  College  Cemetery. 

[Extract  from  a  sermon  preached  in  Amherst,  Mass.,  by  the  Rev.  C.  W. 

Hawley.] 

.  .  .  a  man  with  whom  but  few  of  you  were  acquainted,  though 
well  known  and  honored  in  Central  New  York,  —  Professor 
Hopkins,  of  Hamilton  College,  whom  to  know  was  to  love.  He 
was  my  neighbor  and  friend  for  years,  a  strong,  vigorous  man 

57 


in  the  prime  of  life,  noble  in  countenance,  manly  in  spirit, 
doing  year  after  year  the  work  of  his  college  professorship 
and  implanting  in  many  a  ^oung  man's  mind  high  ideals  of 
character  and  life,  a  close  thinker,  a  master  in  expression,  a 
trenchant  preacher,  a  passionate  lover  of  purity  and  truth,  and 
a  courageous  upholder  of  the  same.  The  aim  of  his  life  has 
been  to  be  a  faithful  disciple  of  Christ,  and  lead  others  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  high  things  won  by  thorough  intellectual 
culture  and  the  higher  things  attained  by  faith.  Such  a  life 
robs  death  of  its  gloom  and  checks  the  wailings  of  grief. 
There  flow  from  it  far  down  the  years  to  come  wholesome,  life- 
giving  streams  of  influence,  while  the  sainted  soul  enters  into 
the  "joy  unspeakable." 

On  Sunday,  September  10th,  1899,  the  Rev.  I.  J.  Van 
Hee,  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  the  Thousand  Isles, 
closed  his  morning  sermon  on  Heb.  xii.  11  with  the  follow- 
ing tribute  to  Dr.  Hopkins :  — 

Now,  where  do  we  so  often  meet  with  these  mysteries  of 
Providence  as  in  the  presence  of  death?  How  often  have  we 
not  felt  that  the  bolt  by  which  a  friend  or  loved  one  was 
stricken  down  might  better  have  fallen  on  some  one  else !  And 
often,  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  those  most  loved  by  God  and 
man,  those  most  useful  to  God  and  humanity,  are  suffered 
to  die.  We  cannot  understand  why  this  is  so,  but  we  know 
that  lie  understands  and  it  must  be  right. 

To  have  to  part  with  a  man  like  the  late  Prof.  A.  G.  Hopkins, 
Dean  of  Hamilton  College,  in  the  midst  of  life,  a  man  foremost 
in  the  religious  and  educational  world,  in  fact,  a  man  who  had 
but  to  hear  of  a  noble,  worthy  project,  to  enlist  his  heart  and 
hand  in  that  cause,  — to  have  to  part  with  such  a  man  is  not 
joyous,  but  grievous.  And  what  fruits  of  righteousness  such 
an  experience  can  cause  us  to  bring  forth,  none  can  surmise, 
except  it  be  to  stir  us  up  to  nobler,  more  divine  purposes, 
such  as  occupied  his  life. 

58 


Wherever  he  was,  in  college  or  in  the  pulpit,  at  home  or 
abroad,  his  presence  was  felt  —  his  influence  remained.  For 
seventeen  years  he  had  been  coming  with  his  family  to  his 
summer  home  here  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and  to  many  of  his 
neighbors  and  associates  the  seasons  on  the  St.  Lawrence  will 
never  seem  the  same.  I  was  acquainted  with  Professor  Hop- 
kins during  one  summer,  and  I  never  had  a  more  interested 
and  inspiring  listener  than  he.  Neither  he  nor  his  wife  ever 
seemed  like  strangers  to  me.  Having  been  young  himself 
and  had  much  experience  with  young  men,  he  entered  into 
my  trials  as  a  young  pastor,  with  brotherly  sympathy  and 
fatherly  counsel.  Would  that  I  could  have  had  the  living 
influence  of  his  life  longer.  What  he  has  been  to  this  church, 
you  know,  —  how  frequently  he  has  ministered  to  this  people 
in  the  absence  of  the  pastor  or  when  your  pulpit  was  vacant ; 
and  he  did  it  as  a  service  of  love  to  God  and  to  you.  The 
loss  that  we  feel,  having  seen  but  glimpses  of  his  life,  and 
had  but  touches  of  his  character,  is  doubly  felt  by  those  who 
knew  him  better. 

And  now  that  his  neighbors  on  the  islands  wish  to  place 
a  memorial  window  in  our  little  church,  here  on  the  banks 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  among  the  people  whose  welfare  he 
ever  cherished,  what  an  added  inspiration  it  will  afford  us 
to  have  his  memory,  along  with  the  others  who  proved 
themselves  so  worthy  in  the  higher  walks  of  earthly  life,  per- 
petuated here. 

They  have  fought  the  "  good  fight,"  they  have  "finished 
their  course,"  they  have  "kept  the  faith."  And  as  we  wor- 
ship God  in  the  presence  of  these  memorials  to  our  honored 
dead,  —  Dr.  Bethune,  Dr.  Holland,  Elder  Rockwell,  Mrs.  Corn- 
wall, Mrs.  Holland,  and  Dr.  Hopkins,  —  they  will  continue  to 
speak  to  us  and  to  influence  our  lives.  "  The  memory  of  the 
just  is  blessed." 


59 


dBrtvatte  farm  3Letttr& 

From  many  letters  of  sympathy  and  appreciation  a  few  ex- 
tracts are  here  given. 

[From  Chancellor  Upson,  of  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.] 

I  have  just  read  in  The  Utica  Herald  the  inexpressibly  sad 
announcement  of  the  departure  from  this  life  of  your  noble 
husband.  What  can  I  say  that  will  comfort  you  under  this 
overwhelming  sorrow?  Nothing,  words  are  vain.  "Be  still, 
and  know  that  I  am  God."  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord 
hath  taken  away."  "  God  is  love."  God's  power,  God's 
knowledge  is  infinite;  and  His  love  is  as  infinite.  He  has 
thought  it  all  out  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  He  knows 
what  is  best  for  us,  and  He  will  do  what  is  best. 

Such  words  are  vain,  and  yet  they  are  true.  Such  a  sorrow 
gives  them  reality  and  force.  .  .  .  Your  husband's  death  is 
an  overwhelming  mystery  to  me.  As  I  knew  him,  he  never 
ceased  to  grow.  He  has  grown  broader,  more  generous,  more 
liberal,  as  well  as  stronger  and  more  practical,  daily.  That 
God  should  take  out  of  this  life  so  much  culture  and 
strength  of  mind  and  breadth  of  view  and  warmth  of  heart 
shows  that  He  means  to  use  the  culture,  the  strength,  the 
breadth,  the  warmth  elsewhere.  The  better  I  knew  your 
husband,  the  more  I  loved  him.  As  a  student,  a  member  of 
the  Faculty,  a  friend,  with  common  tastes  and  sympathies,  we 
grew  together.  And  this  is  not  the  end.  We  shall  meet  again 
and  worship  together  our  dear  Lord.   .  .   . 

[From  the  Rev.  Oliver  Owen,  of  Clinton,  N.  Y.] 

...  I  would  like,  with  the  deepest  sympathy  for  you,  to  offer 
my  tribute  to  the  rare  worth  of  him  whom  you  have  lost. 

60 


If  the  man  were  to  be  named  who  in  my  time  easily  stood 
first  in  our  village,  that  distinction  would  be  more  likely  to  fall 
upon  Dr.  Hopkins  than  upon  any  other  man.  Identified  with  the 
college  that  none  loved  better  than  he,  he  was  still  a  Clintonian 
and  loved  his  village  and  sought  for  its  welfare.  I  write  from 
a  vivid  recollection  of  his  spontaneous  sympathy  with  efforts  to 
sweeten  and  inspire  our  common  social  life  with  the  love  of  the 
highest  which  he  felt. 

I  have  lived  seventeen  years  in  Clinton,  but  to  no  one  else, 
outside  of  my  own  parochial  family,  have  I  the  feeling  so  much 
that  he  at  least  was  not  a  stranger  to  me. 

To  us  all  he  leaves  the  blessing  of  his  name  and  memory. 
The  heritage  is  precious  and  a  resource  for  years  to  come. 

To  you  he  leaves  more,  so  much  more  ;  for  even  your  sorrow 
will  ever  be  the  happiness  of  saying,  Vixit.  But  he  still  lives. 
Requiescat  in  pace  et  lux  perpetua  el  luceat. 

[From  Professor  George  L.  Raymond,  of  Princeton  University.] 

.  .  .  Three  years  ago,  we  renewed  acquaintance  with  the  Pro- 
fessor in  three  enjoyable  days  here  in  Princeton.  I  had  learned 
to  esteem  him  as  a  boy,  and  it  was  not  only  interesting  but 
stimulating  to  notice  how  his  well  balanced,  earnest,  scholarly 
traits  had  developed  and  ripened  into  the  manhood  that  we  had 
all  anticipated.  To  be  brought  face  to  face  with  the  fact  that 
such  a  character,  so  trained  by  experience,  and  so  fitted  in 
every  way  to  be  helpful  to  his  kind,  has  been  removed  so  early 
in  life,  is  a  sad  experience  for  any  of  us.  .   .  . 

(From  Professor  Arthur  Jones,  D.D.,  of  Colgate  University.] 

.  .  .  Professor  Hopkins  began  his  work  in  Hamilton  College 
with  our  class.  He  was  liked  from  the  very  first,  and  to  the  very 
last.  That  itself  is  a  high  tribute.  I  have  never  forgotten  his 
pleasant  smile,  his  cordial  greetings,  his  manly  bearing.  We 
admired  him  for  his  attainments,  his  industry,  and  his  down- 
right genuineness  of  character.     The  passing  years  have  only 

61 


deepened  niy  admiration  and  affection  for  my  old  teacher.  We 
arc  all  poorer  in  your  loss.  May  the  Master  whom  he  so  con- 
stantly followed,  whose  gospel  he  so  loved  to  preach,  be  a 
present  help  to  his  loved  ones. 

[From  Geo.  E.  Dunham,  Esq.,  of  Utica,  N.  J.] 

I  have  just  finished  an  editorial  article  giving  an  all-inad- 
equate estimate  of  your  husband's  character  and  career.  Let 
me  in  this  letter  say  to  you  how  wholly  unable  I  am  to  express 
my  sorrow  and  sympathy  to  you  and  your  daughter.  It  was 
my  good  fortune  to  have  been  one  of  his  pupils.  Since  then,  as 
one  of  the  Trustees,  I  have  been  able  to  continue  the  friendship 
there  formed.  He  was  a  noble  man  and  his  life  has  been  a  use- 
ful one.  .  .  . 

The  college  sustains  a  heavy  blow ;  there  is  a  vacant  place 
that  can  never  be  quite  filled. 

[From  Benjamin  H.  Sanborn,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  Mass.] 

On  my  return  from  the  woods  I  am  pained  to  learn  of  the  death 
of  your  husband,  and  our  editor,  Dr.  Hopkins.  He  was  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  scholarly  men.  on  our  list,  and  a  suc- 
cessful editor.  I  did  not  know  him  personally,  but  learned 
to  love  him  from  the  many  good  words  I  have  heard  from  a  for- 
mer partner,  and  one  of  our  agents  who  has  often  called  upon 
him.  .  .  . 

Permit  me  to  express  my  deep  sympathy  for  you  and  your 
family  in  this  supreme  hour. 

[From  Thomas  A.  Abbott,  Esq.,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.] 
It  is  with  the  deepest  sorrow  that  I  have  heard  of  your  hus- 
band's illness,  and  now  of  his  death,  and  I  beg  you  to  count 
me  as  one  of  that  great  company  of  mourners  who  deplore  his 
sudden  and  untimely  end. 

To  me  he  was  an  ideal  man  in  all  that  was  highest  and  best, 
whom  it  was  an  honor  as  well  as  a  pleasure  to  know;  and  I  had 

62 


hoped  that  he  might  be  spared  for  many  years  of  happiness  and 
usefulness. 

It  is  very  sad  to  know  that  his  life  has  closed  so  early,  when 
apparently  so  much  remained  for  him  to  do  and  gain. 

[From  Rev.  Cabl  W.  Scovel,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.] 

Will  you  accept  a  little  note  expressing  the  sincere  sympathy 
of  one  who  admired  and  loved  your  husband,  —  admired  him 
as  the  strong  "  Roman,"  as  we  college  boys  named  him;  loved 
him  for  his  genial,  cheery  way. 

I  am  glad  my  last  sight  of  him  was  just  a  day  or  two  before 
he  was  stricken,  as  he  was  going  on  the  hill  —  the  picture  of 
health. 

He  is  stronger  to-day.  He  has  passed  under  his  Arch  of 
Triumph,  having  trod  the  Appian  Way  of  daily  faithful  service, 
and  has  entered  the  city  of  the  Caesar  of  Caesars,  the  Christ. 

[  From  Professor  Francis  Brown,  D.D.,  of  Union  Seminary.] 

I  have  but  just  heard  of  the  grief  that  the  last  month  has  brought 
to  you  and  to  so  many  with  you.  I  do  not  even  now  know  whether 
the  shock  was  as  sudden  for  you  as  it  was  terrible.  To  me  the 
news  came  with  absolute  and  startling  suddenness.  A  life  of 
rare  and  exquisite  symmetry  has  gone  out  of  our  sight.  I  have 
not  seen  him  often  in  recent  years,  but  I  have  felt  him.  I  re- 
call how  my  father  loved  him  and  what  reason  he  had,  and  how 
the  debt  was  increased  when  my  father  himself  left  us  so  sud- 
denly, fourteen  years  ago. 

[From  Professor  Francis  M.  Burdick,  of  Columbia  College.] 

...  I  cannot  appreciate  yet  that  this  strong  and  vigorous  man 
has  fallen  ;  that  this  noble  soul  has  left  the  earth  forever.  For 
no  one  with  whom  I  have  been  associated  in  college  work  have 
I  entertained  a  warmer  affection  or  a  higher  regard  than  for 
Professor  Hopkins;  and  although  we  have  seen  but  little  of 
each  other  for  some  years,  I  feel  his  untimely  death  as  a  keen 
personal  loss. 

63 


[From  B.  Dwight  Holbrook,  Ph.D.,  of  Sing  Sing,  N.Y.] 

A  good  man  has  gone,  but  his  gracious  influence  will  long 
abide,  an  inspiration  and  a  benison  to  all  who  came  under  his 
genial  sway. 

I  knew  Mr.  Hopkins  as  a  student  his  professor,  and  I  never 
knew  him  to  be  other  than  a  perfect  gentleman  —  strong  and 
courageous  as  a  lion,  considerate  and  sympathetic  as  a  woman. 

All  the  students  I  have  ever  met,  and  first  and  last  1  have 
met  a  goodly  number,  have  invariably  expressed  the  highest 
respect  and  gratitude  when  his  name  was  mentioned. 

The  last  time  I  saw  him  was  when  I  called  last  February  and 
his  look  of  vigorous,  manly  beauty  has  ever  since  dwelt  in  my 
memory.  .  .  .  Personally  I  shall  ever  retain  a  sense  of  great 
obligation  to  him  for  his  big-hearted  kindness  to  me. 

[From  a  friend.] 

.  .  .  For  ourselves  too  we  feel  that  one  of  the  pleasantest  asso- 
ciations with  our  summer  home  is  now  turned  to  sadness,  though 
we  are  thankful  to  have  known  your  husband,  to  have  enjoyed 
some  measure  of  his  friendship.  We  can  never  forget  his  simple, 
friendly  ways,  his  invariable  cordiality  and  courtesy,  his  gentle- 
ness and  kindness  to  everybody.  .  .  .  showed  us  what  a  noble 
and  tender  heart  he  had.  His  mind  we  knew  something  about 
from  his  preaching,  and  perhaps  more  from  his  conversation, 
so  that  we  honored  him  wholly  and  saw  how  he  enriched  every 
circle  into  which  he  entered. 

[From  a  friend.] 

.  .  .  With  his  splendid  physique,  wonderful  muscular  develop- 
ment, poise  of  character,  deliberation  of  manner,  marked  self- 
control,  and  symmetry  of  mind  and  body,  he  was  the  last  of  all 
our  friends  whom  we  should  have  associated  with  an  early  death. 
Just  in  his  prime,  —  the  prime  of  his  noble,  generous  manhood, 
—  with  apparent  vigor  of  mind  and  body  that  promised  years 
of  usefulness  and  blessedness,  his  being  taken  from  earth  seems 

64 


a  mystery  that  baffles  all  human  reasoning.  As  in  Phillips 
Brooks's  case,  so  in  your  husband's,  —  the  world  can  ill  afford 
to  give  up  such  natures.  Is  it  because  they  have  ripened  beyond 
all  need  of  the  earth-life  that  God  calls  them  home  —  their  vic- 
tory and  triumph  won  ? 

The  following  letters  were  written  to  Dr.  Stryker,  who 
has  kindly  allowed  their  insertion  here. 

[From  Rev.  W.  S.  Nelson,  of  Tripoli,  Syria.] 

.  .  .  The  last  mail  brought  papers  announcing  the  death  of 
Professor  Hopkins.  His  figure,  his  manly  personality,  remains 
with  me  as  one  of  the  clearest  and  most  valuable  impressions 
received  by  me  in  the  one  year  I  spent  at  Clinton.  ...  I  have 
never  ceased  to  remember  with  gratitude  the  kind  manner  of 
Professor  Hopkins,  and  I  always  admired  his  wonderful  ability 
to  control  his  classes,  because  of  his  admirable  control  of  him- 
self, and  his  commanding  the  thorough  respect  of  all  by  his 
thorough  manliness.  I  am  sorry  the  coming  classes  are  not  to 
have  his  example  and  influence. 

[From  Professor  Wm.  H.  Squijres,  Leipzig,  Germany.] 

As  another  year  of  college  work  begins,  my  thoughts  turn  loyally 
to  the  dear  old  College,  but  not  without  sadness.  That  noble 
good  man,  friend  and  helper  of  all,  Dr.  Hopkins,  will  not  answer 
the  call  to  duty  this  time.  What  a  rare,  sincere  soul  he  was : 
always  approachable,  sympathetic,  and  kind,  —  sensitive  to 
everything  right  and  fair.  He  lived  in  perpetual  sunshine  and 
lovingly  shared  his  happiness  with  others. 

He  always  impressed  upon  me  the  fact  that  he  passed  his 
daily  life  in  very  intimate  and  loving  communion  with  God. 
From  his  pure  and  genuine  soul  went  out  influences  to  bless  all 
that  came  in  contact  with  him.  We  will  miss  this  generous 
friend  and  brother,  and  something  will  remind  us  constantly 
that  he  has  gone. 

5  65 


When  I  was  student,  Dr.  Hopkins  kindled  within  me  deep 
reverence  for  his  ideal  character  and  manhood.  No  teacher 
ever  appealed  more  earnestly  to  my  sense  of  fairness  and  impar- 
tiality. These  early  impressions  have  never  been  changed. 
Nearer  association  as  colleague  led  me  to  admire  and  love  him. 

May  the  dear  old  college  find  as  noble  a  man  and  as  genuine 
and  impartial  a  scholar  to  take  up  his  holy  work  in  class  room 
and  in  the  world  outside. 

Dr.  Hopkins  was  a  master  of  many  things.  He  had  a  broad 
and  an  enlightened  mind  with  a  responsive  conscience.  The 
narrow,  self-destructive  scholarship  of  the  so-called  specialist 
never  cramped  and  dimmed  his  open-visioned  soul.  He  was 
the  noblest  of  scholars,  —  all  soul,  all  appreciation,  —  truly  an 
all-sided  man.  He  was  a  living  teacher,  because  he  taught 
lessons  by  his  every-day  life  that  promised  immediate  returns 
and  afforded  true  benedictions  to  the  responsive  student. 

Dr.  Hopkins  lives  in  the  hearts  and  characters  of  his  pupils. 
Though  gone,  his  work  has  not  ceased.  Such  men  are  immor- 
tal here,  for  they  have  first  lived  themselves  and  then  have 
taught  others  to  live  also.  No  nobler,  no  more  lasting  work 
can  be  done  than  this.  What  a  successful  life  he  had  !  How 
valuable  every  bit  of  it ! 

As  student,  as  colleague,  I  offer  loving  tribute  to  his  work, 
his  character,  his  memory,  and  the  success  that  lives  on  after 
him  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  his  loyal  pupils.  We  all  loved 
him,  we  mourn  his  sad  death. 


66 


Vivit  vivetque  semper  atque  etiam  latius  in 
memoria  hominum  et  sermone  versabitur, 
postquam  ab  oculis  recessit. 

Plin.  Epp.  II.  1. 11. 


67 


